Imagine hailing a ride with your phone and having an electric plane arrive to whisk you away. That’s the vision of German startup Lilium, which is developing a five-seat electric jet that can take off and land vertically, enabling it to serve some of the world’s densest cities. The key is a series of engines that can rotate 90 degrees; this allows the jets to reach horizontal flying speeds of up to 186 m.p.h. (faster than many helicopters) and then descend straight down once they’ve reached their destination. But the jets are far from being commercially ready: Lilium only just completed its first set of test flights in Bavaria, using a two-seat prototype.
–Julia Zorthian
For more on these stories, visit time.com/ideas
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com