Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 16 submissions in the queue.

Lilium Unveils Five-Seater Air Taxi Prototype

posted by Fnord666 on Friday May 17 2019, @01:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the where's-my-jet-pack? dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

TechCrunch:

It's not the first time a Lilium Jet — the company's all-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) device — has taken to the sky but it is the first time the new five seater has taken off and landed, following extensive ground testing. Lilium published a video of a two-seater version's inaugural flight just over two years ago.

The new five-seater is a full-scale, full-weight prototype that is powered by 36 all-electric jet engines to allow it to take-off and land vertically, while achieving "remarkably efficient horizontal or cruise flight," says Lilium

Will the back seat of the air taxi be cleaner than the normal kind?

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Lilium Unveils Five-Seater Air Taxi Prototype | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 20 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday May 17 2019, @02:18AM (13 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 17 2019, @02:18AM (#844560) Journal

    I question the use of the term "jet" here. All I see is a turbine, or fan, blowing air through a tunnel. Basically a hovercraft, with fans that can be rotated for forward thrust.

    On Lilium's site, I notice that they seem to take care to describe the vehicle as a "jet", but not to refer to the blowers as "jet engines". https://lilium.com/ [lilium.com]

    --
    “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 1) by Chocolate on Friday May 17 2019, @02:25AM (1 child)

    by Chocolate (8044) on Friday May 17 2019, @02:25AM (#844562) Journal

    Maybe version 2 will have actual jet engines? :)

    --
    Bit-choco-coin anyone?

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:18AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:18AM (#844573)

      I got a "video not available" screen from one of the links, found this one instead that worked:
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qotuu8JjQM [youtube.com]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @02:34AM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @02:34AM (#844565)

    Jet refers to the stream of material coming out of an aperture. While you could call those things electric fans in tunnels, the exhaust qualifies as a jet.
    I'd be more worried about the open intakes on the front of them. They start landing everywhere like true air-taxis and they are going to be sucking in all sorts of shit. I suppose that's why they have 36 of the buggers. Lose a few and keep flying.

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday May 17 2019, @02:43AM (3 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 17 2019, @02:43AM (#844567) Journal

      I just re-read several articles on jets. I think we need an authority figure to decide whether this counts as a jet. Hero - can we resurrect him? His version of a jet definitely used combustion. We need his opinion.

      --
      “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz

    • (Score: 5, Informative) by janrinok on Friday May 17 2019, @02:45AM

      by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 17 2019, @02:45AM (#844569) Journal

      the exhaust qualifies as a jet.

      I would suggest that is only true in the most basic analysis of moving air, it is certainly not what anybody in the business would describe as a jet. Ok, perhaps a marketing droid might.... but he should be calling it a ducted fan.

      From wikipedia [wikipedia.org]:

      A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet that generates thrust by jet propulsion. This broad definition includes airbreathing jet engines (turbojets, turbofans, ramjets, and pulse jets).[clarification needed] In general, jet engines are combustion engines.

      Common parlance applies the term jet engine only to various airbreathing jet engines. These typically feature a rotating air compressor powered by a turbine, with the leftover power providing thrust via a propelling nozzle – this process is known as the Brayton thermodynamic cycle. Jet aircraft use such engines for long-distance travel. Early jet aircraft used turbojet engines which were relatively inefficient for subsonic flight. Most modern subsonic jet aircraft use more complex high-bypass turbofan engines. They give higher speed and greater fuel efficiency than piston and propeller aeroengines over long distances. A few air-breathing engines made for high speed applications (ramjets and scramjets) use the ram effect of the vehicle's speed instead of a mechanical compressor.

      --
      I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Arik on Friday May 17 2019, @03:02AM

      by Arik (4543) on Friday May 17 2019, @03:02AM (#844572) Journal
      These are not jets. They are electric ducted fans, completely different devices even if they can sometimes come in similar housing.

      --
      If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?

  • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday May 17 2019, @02:38AM (1 child)

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Friday May 17 2019, @02:38AM (#844566) Journal

    I agree - they are most certainly not jet engines, in fact TFA actually says that they are 'all-electric'. I be;lieve the correct term is 'ducted fan'.

    --
    I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Chocolate on Friday May 17 2019, @05:18AM

      by Chocolate (8044) on Friday May 17 2019, @05:18AM (#844610) Journal

      I heard that this thing is really popular.
      It has lots of fans.

      --
      Bit-choco-coin anyone?

  • (Score: 2) by Arik on Friday May 17 2019, @03:00AM (1 child)

    by Arik (4543) on Friday May 17 2019, @03:00AM (#844571) Journal
    You're right to question it, it's bullshit (aka "puffery.")

    It's powered by EDF (electric ducted fans.) No doubt marketing thought it would be sexier if they just lied and called it a jet.
    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:10PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 17 2019, @03:10PM (#844727)

      It's powered by EDF (electric ducted fans.) No doubt marketing thought it would be sexier if they just lied and called it a jet.

      That's eJet to you, bub.