~ Future of transportation: Lilium ~

This week, Lilium Jet, successfully completed its maiden flight in Bavaria. So what's special about it? Well, it happens to be "world's first electric vertical take-⁠off and landing jet". While most technology companies are looking at disrupting the transport sector with automated cars, the implementation / realisation of the project has been hindered for various reasons in many cities after initial test runs. 

The Market

As many cities, in the developing countries, have been expanding inorganically due to lack of town planning or sustainable policies from governments & transportation department; the chaos can be very much experienced by everyone who is living or visiting the city. One such city is Bangalore, the valley of South Asia. Anyone who has stayed here for a month or more can relate to the traffic snarls across the town. 

The Disruptors

Compared to other cities in India, Bangalore has decent public transportation system via state-run BMTC & limited Namma Metro coverage. We have on-demand cab & rickshaw hailing services from Uber & Ola. To that, add all types wheelers - 2, 3, 4 & 6 - both the private & commercial vehicles, on the roads of Bangalore. This creates enough chaos which throws life out of gear for moving from Place A to Place B. I feel any new means of urban road transportation will not solve the problem for a population of 8.42 Million people, due to the lack of infrastructure & bad planning. 

Metro

Even though the implementation of metro is challenging considering the hurdles of land acquisition & terrain, it offers a more economical option to carry more number of people in the cities.

Electric Jet

Lilium, an electric jet, that can do a vertical take-off and landing could be the key disruptor in not just urban transportation in developed & developing countries. This jet can solve the transportation problem as it doesn't need much infrastructure to land & take-off making it a viable on-demand service. The USPs of Lilium (source: lilium.com): 

Here is the maiden flight of Lilium that happened on 20th April 2017.

~ Alternate energy ~

BMTC debuts with India's first electric bus. Here are some stats:

1. The bus is made by the Chinese Auto maker BYD Auto
2. 4 ferrous batteries generate 540 volts of electricity
3. Can cover 250kms in single charge, with a max speed of 96km/hr
4. Takes 5 hours to charge normally & half time for a supercharge

Image source: Ibtimes


In the second news, Madhya Pradesh debuts with India's largest solar power plant. Here are some stats:

1. Is the largest capacity presently under execution in a single location, both in India as well as the entire Asian continent
2. The solar plant is one of the largest solar plants in the world spread across 800 acres of barren terrain.
3. 216,372 tonnes of carbon will be mitigated annually.
4. The plant is expected to cater to power needs of 6.24 lakh homes in the state.
5. The 151 (DC) MW project operated by Welspun Energy Limited (WEL)

~ Tesla ~

Tesla Motors, Inc. is a electric company based out of Silicon Valley. The *youngest* car company in the USA, which raises the whole game. Elon Musk, the man behind Tesla Motors, has a very fascinating vision towards the integration of technology towards a greener, economical and cleaner planet {or may be Interplanetary travel & life expansion}. 

I admire his vision and how it is being made into a reality by his group of innovators. They are bringing a massive change towards how the future of Urban Transportation would be in the next 5 years. 

Despite all the coverage Model S has been getting from the mainstream media over the last 3 months - John Broder on NYT, The Verge, Car & Driver, Auto Blog. Elon Musk says that he is not worried about critique or negative feedback, but has a problem with false reviews.

Keeping all that aside, I was amazed at the whole new approach which Telsa Motors undertook to build an electric car. The infrastructure is massive & totally different from the other combustible car manufacturers. While some of the luxury sports cars are hand crafted in European countries, Telsa brings in life-sized Robotic automation to get a car running. The way these Robots are trained by their handlers to achieve the precision output in their operations, across various floors, left me spellbound. 

I will stop talking and let you watch the NGC documentary on Tesla Motors & Model S

Feel harnessing the Solar energy to produce electricity would hold the key in many of the developing countries to make Electric Vehicles a more viable option. In a country like India where scheduled power outages are common  even in the cities, the adoption of EVs can happen only if there is holistic planning & execution by both Government & EV companies.

As of now I cannot afford a car from Telsa Motors, however have been patiently waiting for the latest version of Reva well over an year since it was announced in Delhi Motor Show Jan 2012. From what I read, Mahindra has been waiting for Govt of India's National Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020 which plans to provision subsidy or benefit for the consumer buying electric vehicles. Googled about it & see that Reva are set to announce something on 18th of March 2013.

I know there would be a lot of opposition & skepticism towards electrical car manufacturer, be it Tesla or Reva. Eventually people will realize the benefits  of an electric vehicle which is more economical & environmental friendly in an urban setup. A Better, Cleaner & Greener is the way to go in the future. 

Reading: Elon Musk - Wired | Youtube Interview | On Reva - Reva | Launch of E20 on Mar 18th | NEMMP Vision | A moment in Sun

Updates 

"I don't know--the whole 'winner of SXSW' thing is really weird this year," says GroupMe cofounder Jared Hecht. "You know what I think is really cool this year? More people are here to listen to Elon Musk talk about sending ships into space, and I think that's just awesome and fundamentally different than coming here to hear about the next big social media app." †

Elon Musk @ SXSW | Why Tesla Motors is betting on Model S