Swiss railways consider deploying electric air taxi

The SBB, or Swiss Federal Railways, is considering installing electrically powered air taxis at its train stations. The railway company is in talks with Munich-based Lilium GmbH, which is developing the Lilium Jet.

According to Clean Thinking, the small aircraft should be used as taxis, with which travelers can travel to their final destination from the train station. The Lilium Jet takes off vertically, eliminating the need for a runway.

Lilium reports that the Jet is fully electric, can reach a speed of up to 300 km per hour and makes less noise than a motorcycle. The range is 300 km. In addition, the air taxi consumes a comparable amount of electricity as an electric car. The Jet uses a battery “found in every Tesla,” the CEO told The Verge in 2017. The vehicle has space for five passengers.

The Jet contains twelve spherical valves, each with three electric jet engines. If one or more engines fail, the vehicle can still land safely due to the vertical take-off and descent. As a last resort, the air taxi has a parachute.

Negotiations between the tech company and the SBB are still ongoing, so it is not yet known if and when the air taxis will become available. In addition, several Swiss politicians have spoken negatively about the plans, according to Bloomberg. They believe that the railway company should only deal with the railway.