Lilium Reveals Seven-Seat eVTOL, Plans To Go Public

Air taxi developer Lilium unveiled a seven-seat version of its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on Friday. Aimed at the regional shuttle segment, the “7-Seater Lilium Jet” is expected to cruise at 175 MPH with a range of around 155 miles. Lilium, which has flown two- and five-seat versions of its eVTOL, reports that it received a CRI-A01 certification basis from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the seven-seat model last year.

Lilium also announced plans to go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Qell Acquisition Corp. Qell is led by former president of General Motors North America Barry Engle, who will be joining Lilium’s Board. As previously reported by AVweb, Lilium is planning to build a network of up to 14 vertiports for an eVTOL-based air taxi service in Florida with the goal of launching commercial operations in 2024.

“We’re incredibly excited to reveal the development of our 7-Seater Lilium Jet and announce the next stage of our growth,” said Lilium co-founder and CEO Daniel Wiegand. “This is a validation of all the hard work over the last five years from our talented team and our world-class partners and investors.”