"FUNDAMENTALLY, IT'S an electric business jet-it just happens to take off and land vertically," says Alex Asseily, vice chair of German aerospace startup Lilium. He's talking about Jet, the company's all-electric, fixed-wing aircraft that recently soared over its first few regulatory hurdles and is expected to enter production next year. Just don't call it a flying car-Asseily sees it as more of a minibus. It's one of dozens of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft being developed around the world. There are two main designs: The first, which includes those from Lilium and California-based Joby, has fixed wings like a plane but engines that tilt to change the angle of thrust, so it can take off and land without a runway-much like the UK's groundbreaking Harrier fighter jet. The other type, popularized by German startup Volocopter and Chinese company EHang, are known as lift-and-cruise multicopters and look like the offspring of a drone and a helicopter.
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