Inside Lilium, the German company trying to revolutionize air travel

German aerospace company Lilium wants to revolutionize air travel with its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet.  “Revolutionize means make it absolutely zero emission,“ Lilium CEO Klaus Roewe told CNBC Tech in an interview.  “We want to make a regional plane that has a decent transport capacity to have a meaningful effect on CO2 emission reduction.“  Less than a decade after being founded by four university students, the group is now one of Europe’s leading eVTOL companies. In 2019, Lilium completed a test flight of its all-electric five-seater aircraft. It is targeting certification by 2026.  “There was a lot of efficiency gain made by the structure, by the systems, notably by the engines. However, you can see it’s now coming to a kind of plateau,“ Roewe said.  “Getting another 20%-30% out, in terms of CO2 reduction, is very, very difficult. So, you have to make a leapfrog in terms of technologies.“  Lili