Flying Taxi Startup Hires Supercar Designer

Lilium GmbH, a flying taxi startup based in Gilching, Germany, has hired Frank Stephenson to design its vehicles, launch pads and departure lounges.

Stephenson most recently was the chief designer for McLaren Automotive Ltd., where he worked from 2008 until last spring and is credited with penning the P1 supercar. He also has designed vehicles for Alfa Romeo, BMW (and the company’s retro-styled Mini models), Ferrari, Fiat and Maserati.

Stephenson will join Lilium next month. The company says it currently has more than 100 employees, including former executives from Airbus, Gett and Tesla.

The aircraft is propelled by 36 electric motors—powered by several thousand tiny lithium-ion batteries—mounted to its wings via 12 flaps. The flaps point down at takeoff to provide vertical lift, then gradually tilt horizontally to generate forward thrust.

Lilium is targeting a top air speed of 186 mph and a range of about 190 miles, which the company says is much faster and farther than is possible with quadcopter concepts being developed by other companies.

Founded in 2015 by four Munich Technical University students, Lilium has raised more than $100 million from investors. Early backers include Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings and venture capital firms that helped launch Skype and Twitter.