Those were times when the federal government’s excessive support for the Bavarian automobile industry and road construction in Bavaria could be blamed on a CSU Federal Transport Minister. Whether he was called Dollinger, Ramsauer, Dobrindt or Scheuer: “Bavaria first” was always the slogan. The Palatinate Wissing has now reached the next level of Bavaria-friendliness: He is “pushing” for state aid for a Bavarian company that wants to develop and build air taxis (Regional Air Mobility).
This is a favorite project of Markus Söder, in case anyone missed it. Söder wants to guarantee Lilium, as this company is called, with 50 million euros if the federal government contributes the same amount. Of course, it is not Markus Söder that guarantees, but the Free State of Bavaria.
Let’s take a look at the air taxi, it can be said to be quite an ambitious project. From the Lilium Technology Blog von 2021 The following objective comes from: “Lilium envisages directly connecting inner cities over a range of 40 to 200 km (and in the longer term up to 500 km) at speeds of up to 300 km/h, while at the same time saving significant time for the individual passenger in comparison To enable alternatives.”
That sounds good, but you have to remember that the air taxi is designed for five to six passengers plus the pilot. This also contradicts statements like: It complements public transport.
In April 2022 it was said in the News on the Lilium website: Lilium begins flight tests in Spain. However, on October 1st, 2024 it was read in the same place: “Lilium powers the first Lilium jet and thus reached an important milestone on the way to the first flight” (translation by Deepl).
What now: flight tests in 2022 or first flight in 2024? That would have to be explained. In between, there were almost weekly success reports about technology and investors. But what is true, why is the guarantee necessary?
If you look at the company’s website, you’ll see great animations – you can’t really find any technical data. The website can almost be described as a pure advertising measure.
In this case the only thing left to do is look at the specialist press. At “aerokurier” you will find what you are looking for under the heading “Lilium’s illusory world – bearer of hope or impostor?”
The article is from 2020, so it’s a bit older. The linked dossier seems important (pdf-Download). The dossier must be viewed with caution. The author does not want to be named (possibly an insider). But it shows, at least to the author of this comment as an engineer, some of the problems with the project.
The biggest problem will be the battery technology, or rather the mass-performance ratio of the batteries installed.
This is where we come to the political decisions about state aid and funding. While one FDP minister is currently cutting funding for battery research in Germany, another FDP minister wants to grant state aid to a company that is urgently dependent on high-quality battery technology. Even shaking your head hard doesn’t help.
Regardless, there are other success reports. Although the first flight has been postponed to early 2025, the Saudia Group has placed a firm order for fifty Lilium jets and secured options for a further 50 models. At least that’s what AERO reported on July 19, 2024.
Conclusion: The matter of flying taxis is opaque. It is not even clear yet whether they will fly and adhere to the promised parameters. The latest report says there is confidence from at least one airline. Apparently that’s not enough for the banks to make further loans. The householders have to think a lot about whether the federal government should agree to a guarantee. Especially when it comes to the question of whether we even need a flight taxi.
