Lilium, the drone electric taxi plane is flying!

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Lilium, the drone electric taxi plane is flying!




by Christophe » 05/09/17, 14:42

First in-flight videos of the Lilium prototype, the future flying taxi "drone-plane" quite interesting in its concept!

Obviously it is radio controlled on the video (which dates from spring)





The performances announced seem a little optimistic ... but the project is interesting, very ...

And they just raised ... 90 Million Euros! https://business.lesechos.fr/entreprene ... 312720.php
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Opale2sang » 06/09/17, 06:35

Bonjour.
If that's true, it's a pretty proto, but say it could be used in town ...
There remains the problem of a possible breakdown and a fall, because even with a parachute the machine remains dangerous.
Imagine the sky filled with his machines, even with an autopilot, some would be able to hack and then imagine if someone uses it as a weapon.

No really I do not believe in the mass marketing of this kind of device especially in the city.
Or in any case I do not see how to secure the thing satisfactorily in our modern cities.

Kind regards.
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by izentrop » 06/09/17, 07:43

Hello,
You are right for the optimistic performances, the prototype flight without load, not even a person on board. https://lilium.com/
No indication of the payload?

Now that they've got their lead, the sequel may be long overdue : Wink:
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Christophe » 10/10/17, 17:50

An article criticizes the impossibility of democratizing taxi drones ... by an MIT researcher ...

Why “air taxis” won't work

Carlo Ratti, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explains why this old dream, on which companies are already working, is problematic.

THE WORLD | 09.10.2017/16/12 XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

Few modern vehicles have aroused as much enthusiasm as drones. Annual sales in the United States are expected to reach seven million devices in 2020, and many are already predicting a future where drones would redesign our cities - with remote-controlled deliveries, airborne surveillance and other unexpected applications.

Our collective imagination has seized one of their possibilities: the mobility of people. Will drones soon be able to transport people in the skies of our cities? Will flying taxis come one day to tear us from our garden to drop us delicately in front of a cinema or our favorite restaurant?

Before thinking about hailing an air taxi, let us consider what an urban sky teeming with swarms of miniature helicopters would really mean, transporting their passengers to their next destination. If drones will have many uses in the future, I do not believe that the transport of people over our cities can or should be one of them.

An old fantasy

The dream of unmanned air travel is not new. When Fritz Lang imagines the urban environment of Metropolis, his revolutionary film of 1927, he fills the sky with dizzying towers and flying machines. In the early 1960s, the animation studio Hanna-Barbera produced the Jetsons, a series of cartoons that follows the escapades of a futuristic family of average Americans. In the opening credits, the family criss-crosses the sky of Orbit City in a flying car, which George, the father, ends up folding up in the briefcase that he takes to the office. In 1982, also flying police cars, the spinners, appeared in the famous science fiction film Blade Runner.

Today, a version of such a fictional future seems at hand. Uber invests in its flying car technology. Earlier this year, Airbus launched Pop.Up, a vertical take-off and landing vehicle dedicated to individual mobility. Engaged in an adventure that promises "the flight for everyone", the German start-up Volocopter has designed a miniature helicopter with 18 rotors, the first test flights of which will take place this fall in Dubai.

All of this suggests that urban drones will soon be crisscrossing the skies of their cities like George Jetson, right? Fault ! Despite large investments and even bigger promises, there are practical and physical reasons why it is highly unlikely that our cities will soon become filled with air cars.

Noise, turbulence and risks

Consider physics first. Anyone who has been near a helicopter taking off will understand that it takes a certain amount of energy to lift a heavy object vertically into the air. The drones' rotors are just big fans, pushing the air in there to create upward propulsion. It is not possible to climb vertically in the air without causing significant turbulence and considerable noise.

New Yorkers know this. Protests against noise pollution from one of the main helipads in the city have led to the tightening of regulations applied to organizers of airborne excursions. However, even before the new legislation, there were fewer than 5 tourist flights per month. Imagine that the eight million inhabitants take to the air just once a month: the city would become unlivable.

Other factors that may dampen enthusiasm are technological. Even if drone batteries are considerably improved in order to extend their range, the multitude of vehicles necessary to transport a large number of people above our heads would pose terrible risks to our security. Modern cars can be dangerous, but a battery failure or a broken rotor blade on a flying taxi could cause a heavy vehicle to fall on a densely populated area. And we still don't know whether it will be possible to protect these drones from hackers, terrorists and other criminals, or how air traffic control systems can safely guide passengers.

Other functions for drones

However, drones will transform the lives of future populations, their businesses and their interactions. Small aircraft have already proven their ability in a variety of areas, from the delivery of humanitarian aid to security. Drones play with geographical barriers without the need to set up heavy physical infrastructure, and can connect isolated localities with the rest of the world. In Brazil, for example, the government is deploying drones equipped with cameras to inspect distant agricultural producers, suspected of not respecting the labor code. And drones are already monitoring air quality or providing help in medical emergencies. However, urban mobility is not an appropriate field of application for the technology of on-board unmanned aircraft. The problems posed by urban transport can be solved by keeping your feet on the ground, and even firmly. With the improvement of digital networks and real-time data transmission, autonomous cars, trucks and boats - like the Roboat, of which my colleagues and I are testing the prototype on the Amsterdam canals - can be fast and efficient enough to meet all of our needs. Not to mention that if we stay on the ground, the networks of new infrastructures, like the expensive “vertiport”, are no longer necessary. If the old dream of flying cars crisscrossing the sky of cities fascinates, this vision will remain in the realm of science fiction.

Carlo Ratti is an engineer, architect, and teacher-researcher at MIT. He heads the MIT Senseable Lab, a reference laboratory dedicated to urban innovations.


http://www.lemonde.fr/smart-cities/arti ... 11534.html
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Grelinette » 11/10/17, 22:37

Yep .... I am unable to say if the passenger drone will see the light of day because there are many parameters that will influence its development (some of which we do not yet know), but I am not agree with the arguments put forward by Carlo Ratti to explain why the passenger transport drone will remain science fiction.

When the first motorized plane took off (Clément Ader, 1890), if we had said at the time: "in barely a hundred years, there will be planes in the sky, and some will carry hundreds of passengers. .. ", we would have laughed and qualify these words as science fiction.

Likewise, supposing that drones will not be able to fly in large numbers in the city because of the noise, it is a bit like saying "the plane will not be able to develop because of the pollution it produces!". ..
The argument of nuisances produced by an innovation is based on common sense, and man is not really the person with the most common sense!
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by chatelot16 » 12/10/17, 20:55

if we had said to clement ader that there would one day be a plane as big as the airbus a380 i am sure he would have answered: that's why i took the first step! there will be others

the problem of the drone for one person is the impossibility of sharing the airspace in complete safety ... at each unforeseen event there will be accidents

we already have a hard time making profitable electric cars ... making electric helicopters we are not there yet ... and naming it a drone does not change anything
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Christophe » 22/01/18, 17:55

P. Langlois' analyzes on "flying shuttles":

Electric flying shuttles, a convergence of technologies

Written by Pierre Langlois
The 23 / 01 / 2017

There are at least four different technologies, other than battery chemistry, which should reach maturity within ten years and facilitate the advent of electric flying shuttles. A paradigm shift on the horizon.

Robotic driving

Already, autonomous electric cars are a reality. The improvement of sensors (radars, lidars, sonars, digital cameras), the very significant reduction in their cost, the constant increase in the computing power of processors, the precision of GPS and the connectivity between vehicles are at the origin of the rapid development of robotic driving.

As road regulations allow it, more and more segments of driving will integrate robotization. At first, highway driving and parking, then more complex urban driving.

This same robotic driving will obviously apply to electric flying shuttles (NVE), and to reassure several readers, so that NVE becomes a reality, it will not be a question of authorizing total freedom in the movements of these aircraft and to produce a cacophony above our heads. It is certain that we will create traffic corridors, much like virtual aerial highways. There will be no intersection of the trajectories because the displacements in different directions will be done at different heights in the sky. And the NVEs will talk to each other to avoid potential collisions.

Furthermore, to limit the number of NVEs in the sky, it will be important to focus on public transportation for these aircraft, which also makes economic sense, since these NVEs will not be given and that we would be better off using them for more than an hour a day.

Ultra light and ultra efficient range extenders

Currently, the company Ehang is developing an NVE that can transport two passengers and fly at 100 km / h for around twenty minutes on a full charge of its battery. And, as we saw in my last post, for rapid intercity transport, we would need NVEs capable of reaching 150 km / h for an hour.

It would therefore quadruple the energy density of the batteries if you fill up every 100 km, by recharging or exchanging the battery in specially designed helipads. This recharging would be done during a stop of approximately 5 minutes to raise or lower passengers.

A decrease of a factor of 2 in the weight of the batteries seems achievable within ten years, but a factor of 4 could take 20 years. Never mind, we can always add an ultra light and ultra efficient range extender that uses advanced biofuel (next section).

Such a range extender is currently in development by the company Liquid Piston, and I mentioned it recently in my post of December 19, 2016. Much lighter than a traditional thermal engine, the rotary engines of this company are 30% more efficient than a diesel engine!

Advanced biodiesel that emits significantly less GHG

The Finnish company Neste has developed a synthetic diesel fuel made from vegetable oils, very similar to petroleum diesel. This new advanced biodiesel can mix in all proportions with petroleum diesel, up to 100% biodiesel, and presents no problem in very cold weather, which is not the case with traditional biodiesel. In addition, no modification should be made to the engines of the vehicles. This is called a drop-in biofuel in English literature. Finally, this advanced biofuel from Neste burns cleaner and allows greenhouse gases (GHGs) to be reduced by up to 90%, according to a recent article by Green Car Congress.

In addition, in the electronic magazine Les Affaires, François Normand told us, on January 17, 2017, of a $ 1 billion project to establish a biorefinery in La Tuque, Quebec, in 2023. It would produce advanced biodiesel from forest residues, with the Neste process, which is a partner. A non-profit organization, Bioenergy La Tuque (BELT) was set up to pilot this project.

Instead of using vegetable oil from oleaginous plants or recycled vegetable oils (food industry), we would produce bio-oil using a portable pyrolytic reactor which would be moved over the countless kilometers of roads wood of the region (the city of La Tuque is as big as Belgium). It is the bio-oil that would be sent to the biorefinery, thereby greatly reducing the costs of biomass collection. They are in preliminary studies which should lead to a pilot biorefinery possibly if the preliminary results are conclusive. Then, we would build a commercial factory in La Tuque, for 2023 if all goes well.

New ultra-resistant and ultra-light materials

If we manage to reduce the weight of the structure of the NVE, it is the equivalent of reducing the weight of the batteries. However, MIT researchers have just announced the discovery of a new graphene material structured in a three-dimensional network, which is 20 times lighter than steel and 10 times more resistant! If we manage to produce it on a large scale at a competitive price, it is a real revolution on the horizon, especially for aeronautics.

What MIT researchers knew at the outset was the importance of the shape of materials to increase their mechanical resistance, in addition to their intrinsic resistance of course. For example, a sheet of paper offering very little structural resistance, sees this resistance increase a lot if you roll it. Similarly, a flat steel sheet is much less resistant than a corrugated sheet. They therefore looked for 3D shapes offering the greatest resistance. To help them in this process, the researchers produced several plastic shapes using a 3D printer and tested their resistance. The illustration below shows one of the most promising forms they have tested.

Conclusion

In summary, the use of a range extender 30% more efficient than a diesel engine, which would consume advanced biodiesel emitting much less GHG (over its life cycle), for 30% to 50% of the kilometers ( the rest of the mileage would be electric), is a solution that would make NVE functional with only a reduction by a factor of two in the weight of current Li-ion batteries, within 10 to 15 years. Especially if you use ultra-light and ultra-resistant materials.

We should also not forget that we are targeting rapid intercity public transportation and that the fact of consuming a little advanced biofuel for part of the kilometers offers a perfectly acceptable transitional alternative. Besides a range extender offers redundancy for the electricity source, which increases safety.


http://roulezelectrique.com/les-navette ... hnologies/
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Christophe » 07/02/18, 11:49

The Bell Helicopter Flying Taxi project: https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-servi ... 151180.php

And already a hashtag: #BellAirTaxi

A competitor of Airbus and its Vahana, Bell Helicopter, which has partnered with Uber Technologies, confirms its ambitions.

The next frontier of urban mobility is the sky. And, in the fight to conquer the “smart cities” of tomorrow, the pioneers are going back to back. No sooner has Airbus announced a successful first test flight for its single-seat drone, Vahana, than its American rival - and dolphin in the helicopter market, Bell Helicopter (Textron group), confirms its ambitions for flying taxis.

Uber partner in its urban air taxi project, the American group had unveiled the cabin of its prototype aircraft with vertical landing and takeoff (Adaf) in early January in Las Vegas, at the Consumer Electronics show Show.

"The flying taxi is the next step in our industry, and we are flying to be sure to be among the disruptors who think what transportation should be in the next 10-20 years," said Patrick Moulay, executive vice-president, on Tuesday. sales and international marketing of Bell Helicopter, in an interview with Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the Singapore Air Show. And to clarify: "We are not going to see a taxi fly tomorrow, but this prospect is much closer than people think."
Read also

What deadline? “In countries like Indonesia and New York, the technology already exists and some customers are using an app to book helicopters. For air taxi, we think that by 2020, or perhaps 2025, we will see the first vehicles fly, ”continued Patrick Moulay.

Commercialization announced for 2023

(...)


# BellAirTaxi.jpg
# BellAirTaxi.jpg (63.8 KB) Consulted 8269 times
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Grelinette » 11/02/18, 21:51

Maybe French Franky Zapata will soon be announcing its multi-seat flying machine? ...

After the presentation of Flyboard Air,



then lately from Flyrid



and EZFLY



... a local rumor speaks of the last invention of Franky Zapata, already ready in his workshops: the flying car !

It should be revealed to the public in a few months ... but perhaps not in France: apparently the French authorities are putting the sticks in the wheels turbines, but the Americans would welcome it with open arms!

Car racing projects in a virtual 3D corridor are being studied for the US ...

In any case, this genius designs flying machines with incredible performance and this rumor of a flying car therefore seems credible!

Wait and see ...
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Re: Lilium, the electric taxi drone plane takes off!




by Christophe » 24/05/18, 03:00

RATP supports a taxi drone project ... up to where? Mystery...

https://www.lesechos.fr/tech-medias/hig ... 177621.php

The Ile-de-France transport group is increasing its collaborations with start-ups to monitor the emergence of new forms of mobility and will demonstrate this during Vivatech.

By hosting on its stand EVA (Electric Visionary Aircraft), a young Toulouse company that aims to develop a flying taxi service, the RATP is sure to be talked about during the 2018 edition of the Viva Technology Fair (co-organized by " Les Echos ”and Publicis), to be held in Paris from May 24 to 26. Especially since a full-size prototype will be visible at the entrance to the show, although it will be necessary to wait until the end of the year to see it in flight.

RATP is not a shareholder of EVA and does not intend to become one, at least in the short term. However, cooperation and partnerships are possible between the start-up and the large Ile-de-France group. "Technologically, they are interested in our skills in acoustics," explains Marie-Claude Dupuis, strategy and innovation director of RATP.

Setting milestones for the future

And on the commercial side, the company is setting milestones for the future, when this new mode of transport is mature enough to be integrated into the service offerings made to large cities, in Southeast Asia at first.

Until then, it's a great coup de com ', which allows the RATP to shake up its image, and to show an attention paid to young shoots much more assertive than in the past. Created a little over a year ago, the subsidiary dedicated to investment in start-ups has seen its budget increased from 15 to 30 million euros, and has already made 4 equity investments.

By setting foot in Communauto (car sharing), Klaxit (car-home-work carpooling), or even Cityscoot, whose self-service electric scooters are swarming in the Paris region and in France, RATP is gradually building up a foundation of solutions in new forms of mobility, aware that it cannot be content to curl up on its core business.

Do not limit yourself to a transport offer

The company does not want to limit itself any more to proposing transport offers. “We want to be the privileged partner of sustainable cities. It is an ambition that goes beyond the simple provision of mobility services ”, summarizes Marie-Claude Dupuis. With the conversion of 80% of its bus fleet to an electric motor by 2025, the RATP is, for example, building up experience in the deployment of the infrastructures necessary for supplying depots, which should interest d 'other agglomerations thereafter. Its know-how in terms of energy saving (it claims to have been in January "the first multimodal transporter in the world to be ISO50001 certified") is also an asset to make it grow, not only in cities, but also for get closer to certain young shoots.
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