Gary Zhou 
An electric jet startup company, Lilium, has partnered with software giant Palantir to introduce what they think is the future of mobility.
Over the past ten years, there has been an explosion in the number of companies looking to offer personal electric aircraft to the masses. One such company is Lilium, but they are unique in their use of electric jet propulsion instead of traditional propeller technology. In their efforts to introduce this electric personal jet, they have partnered with the software giant Palantir.
Lilium’s jet offering is far from the private jets of today. The plane is 100% electric and uses electric turbines instead of propellers which are more common with other electric prototypes currently in testing. Furthermore, the jet differentiates itself in its design goals from other private jet offerings. The company is not only aiming for fast and sustainable transportation, but they hope the electric jet can be affordable.
The two companies commented on the crucial partnership in the video they posted a month ago. Palantir will help Lilium with software associated with their complex Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) jet, and Palantir gets the chance to work with a company that believes it is in the infancy of future mobility.
Palantir is far from a sole partner with the fledgling electric jet company. Lilium has partnered with other big names; ABB, Lufthansa, Honeywell, and NetJets, just to name a few. In total, Lilium’s website lists twelve corporate partners.
Readers should recognize that personal electric jets are far from ready. Lilium, and many other companies, are still working with the FAA in the US and the EASA in Europe to establish legal standards for this upcoming technology. Many of these companies also hope to allow those without a pilot’s license to fly, requiring even more regulatory work. This is to say nothing regarding the physical infrastructure required to allow such air-based transport to work.
Nonetheless, with so many prominent names behind Lilium’s project, it is hard to be pessimistic. And perhaps the question we should all be besting is not if air-based transportation is coming to the masses, but when.
