Lilium hires designer behind iconic car brands
LONDON: Lilium, a German startup with Silicon Valley-scale ambitions to put electric “flying taxis” in the air next decade, has hired Frank Stephenson, the designer behind iconic car brands including the modern Mini, Fiat 500 and McLaren P1.
Lilium is developing a lightweight aircraft powered by 36 electric jet engines mounted on its wings. It aimed to travel at speeds of up to 300kph, with a range of 300km on a single charge, the firm had said.
Founded in 2015 by four Munich Technical University students, the Bavarian firm has set out plans to demonstrate a fully functional vertical take-off electric jet by next year, with plans to begin online booking of commuter flights by 2025.
It is one of a number of companies, from Chinese carmaker Geely to United States ride-sharing firm Uber, looking to tap advances in drone technology, highperformance materials and automated driving to turn aerial driving — long a staple of science fiction movies like “Blade Runner” — into reality.
Stephenson, 58, who holds American and British citizenship, will join the aviation start-up next month. His job is to design a plane on the outside and a car inside.
Famous for a string of hits at BMW, Mini, Ferrari, Maserati, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and McLaren, Stephenson will lead all aspects of Lilium design, including the interior and exterior of its jets, the service’s landing pads and even its departure lounges.
Lilium is developing a five-seat flying electric vehicle for commuters after tests last year of a two-seat jet capable of a mid-air transition from hover mode, like drones, into wing-borne flight, like conventional aircraft.
Lilium has raised more than US$101 million (RM394.57 million) in early-stage funding from backers, including an arm of China’s Tencent and Atomico and Obvious Ventures, the venture firms, respectively, of the cofounders of Skype and Twitter.