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Science fiction is becoming reality. This is shown by the current car show in Shanghai, where Frank Sieren took a closer look at the air taxi of a German provider. This vehicle of the future will only work with 5G technology, which makes it highly likely that it will be launched on the market in China first.
China is the elephant in the room when the EU considers what tools it needs to better counter external economic pressure. Amelie Richter has summarized the main points of a study by the Brussels-based think tank European Council on Foreign Relations, which warns that Europeans are at a disadvantage in the strategically important sectors of solar, telecommunications, and rail networks, and makes suggestions to the EU Commission on how to better defend itself against the economic attacks of companies raised in China’s protected domestic market.
You can follow what is currently being discussed at the Boao Forum in southern China in our news: State and party leader Xi Jinping promises the world to make Chinese vaccines a global public good and Beijing plans to ramp up production. China’s central bank president Yi Gang announced at the Boao Forum that his agency will analyze the financial risks of climate change more closely in the future – and the central bank also plans to invest more funds in green bonds. That could suit the EU.
Ning Wang
Feature
Air taxis – the high-flyers of the Shanghai auto show
The most innovative vehicle at Auto Shanghai is not a car in the traditional sense but an autonomous air taxi powered by battery-operated rotors. It will be presented at the stand of Geely, one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, which owns Volvo and is the largest single investor in Daimler. The air taxi is a German hidden champion and comes from the company Volocopter from Bruchsal. Led by Geely, Volocopter raised €50 million in a 2019 funding round, giving Geely about a ten percent stake in the German company. Daimler joined Volocopter in a previous round. Geely and Volocopter are working on an “Urban Air Mobility Concept”. “Geely is transforming from an automaker into a mobility technology company,” said Geely founder Li Shufu, “Our joint venture with Volocopter underscores our confidence in air taxis as the next big challenge of battery-powered mobility concepts.”
And indeed, it seems to be getting underway in China now. Volocopter’s competitor, Ehang from Guangzhou in southern China, has just announced that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has put together a team to certify autonomous air taxis. First up is the two-seater EH216. But the news is seen as a signal for the whole Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) industry, although the certification phase may well take two years if politicians don’t put pressure on it. This is also good news for another German start-up: Lilium. Serial investor Frank Thelen has a stake in it, but so does Tencent Group from Shenzhen in southern China. Lilium will be listed on the New York Nasdaq stock exchange in the second quarter of this year. The Munich-based company is merging with Qell Acquisition Corporation for this purpose. Lilium thereby expects revenues of $830 million to further develop its flying car.
At first glance, the flying taxis with their propellers look like drones. And like drones, the so-called VTOL aircraft (“Vertical Take-Off and Landing”) can take off and land vertically. So in practice, they function like small helicopters. However, they are quieter, easier to control, and much cheaper.
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