(ConservativeSense.com) – Saudi Arabia has ordered 100 flying cars from a German manufacturer. The German air taxi company Lilium makes electrical vertical take-off (eVTOL) vehicles, and experts say the Saudi order signifies the vehicles’ rapid acceleration into the mainstream market globally.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency gave the German firm “Design Organization Approval” but noted that regulations must be agreed upon and implemented. Lilium’s chief technology officer, Alastair McIntosh, said his company has a “license to operate” and “commercialize the revolutionary Lilium Jet.”
Speaking on behalf of the EU agency, Luc Tytgat said regulations will be formulated to address potential noise pollution and ensure that “high safety standards are met” before the vehicles can begin operations. He added, however, that such regulations must not act as a barrier to innovation.
Aviation experts say that flying cars have been imagined for decades but bringing them to the market has been surprisingly slow, even though billions of dollars have been invested. Designers say the new Lilium vehicles will be able to travel around 300 miles, and are intended for inter city rather than long-distance travel. The vehicles are made airborne by electrical propellers which lift them from the ground and thrust them forward.
Four friends who studied together at the University of Munich created Lilium in 2015 and hope to have their first flying cars in operation by 2025. They are not alone in the emerging market, however. Aircraft giant Boeing hopes to introduce its models by 2030.
Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary, is currently working on eVTOL cars and plans to present them first to the American market before expanding into Asia. Boeing is reportedly looking to Japan for an Asian launch, but the Japanese company SkyDrive is developing similar vehicles, which it hopes will be in operation much sooner.
American firm Boeing has established a base in the Japanese city of Nagoya, saying the area is home to a large number of technologically advanced individuals with the required skill sets.
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