Schlagwort-Archive: eVTOL

ArcosJet Purchases 10 Lilium eVTOL-Jets

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ArcosJet DMCC and Lilium N.V. (NASDAQ: LILM), developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet, have announced ArcosJet’s purchase of 10 Lilium Jets, expected to be delivered through 2026 & 2027. Following the appointment of ArcosJet as an exclusive authorized dealer for private sales of the Lilium Jet in their region, ArcosJet’s purchase means eVTOL travel will soon be available for customers in the Middle East.

The Lilium Pioneer Edition Jet will offer the largest cabin in its category, low-noise, high-speed regional transport with zero operating emissions, where passengers will enjoy large panoramic views in its spacious 4-seat cabin. Deliveries of the premium eVTOL jet are expected to begin in early 2026. The Lilium Jets will be delivered to customers with a comprehensive maintenance program, pilot training, and two charging stations.

“Today we are pleased to announce the details of our purchase of Lilium Pioneer Edition Jets and are confident that the aircraft will quickly find buyers and lay the foundations for the development of sustainable air transport in the Middle East. Together with Lilium, ArcosJet offers its customers best-in-class innovations and developments for the future of transport. We see this as the most profitable investment in the high-tech and sustainable future of aviation, as well as in the development of regional air mobility,” said Mikhail Alenkin, ArcosJet founder and CEO.

“Together with ArcosJet, we are excited to be entering new markets by introducing our revolutionary Lilium Jet and thrilled with their firm commitment to 10 jets. With ArcosJet’s experience and expertise in private aircraft sales, I am confident our partnership will help customers appreciate the unique capabilities of eVTOL flight,” said Sebastien Borel, Chief Commercial Officer at Lilium.

The Lilium Pioneer Edition Jet is the first planned model of the Lilium Jet and will comfortably seat four passengers on estimated non-stop flights of up to 175 km at 250 km/h. The first manned flight of the type-conforming aircraft is scheduled for late 2024, with type certification expected in late 2025. Source: ‚Lilium.com‚.

Joby: erste Testflüge mit Pilot

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Im Juni bekam Joby Aviation von der US-Luftfahrtbehörde FAA die Erlaubnis, nun hoben Piloten mit einem Vorserienmodell des Multikopters ab. Der kalifornische Flugtaxi-Entwickler Joby Aviation testet seinen elektrischen Multicopter erstmals mit Piloten an Bord. Die Testflüge mit einem Vorserienmodell fanden in der Pilotproduktionsanlage des Unternehmens in Marina statt, teilte das Unternehmen mit. Dabei sollen die Funktionen des Flugzeugs getestet werden, das vertikal starten und landen kann. oby entwickelt ein elektrisch betriebenes Flugzeug, das mit sechs schwenkbaren Propellern bestückt ist. Es soll sich mit maximal 320 km/h fortbewegen und dabei einen Piloten und vier Passagiere bis zu 240 km weit transportieren können. Dabei will Joby die in einem „Electric Aerial Ridesharing“ (EAR) selbst betreiben.

Erlaubnis im Juni
Die US-Luftfahrtbehörde FAA hatte Joby im Juni dieses Jahres die Erlaubnis für bemannte Flüge erteilt. Bisher testete das Unternehmen sein Flugzeug per Fernsteuerung vom Boden aus. Nun hätten bisher vier Testpiloten Flüge unternommen, erklärte Joby. Nach dem Start testeten sie demnach auch den Übergang in den Vorwärtsflug, wobei die Rotoren geschwenkt werden, Beschleunigung und Abbremsen bis zur vertikalen Landung.

Joby will in Dayton im US-Bundesstaat Ohio eine Fertigungsanlage errichten. Dort sollen jährlich bis zu 500 Flugzeuge produziert werden. Das EAR, den das Unternehmen damit betreiben will, soll 2025 in Dienst gehen. Dafür hat das Unternehmen nach eigenen Angaben vor Kurzem mit der Fluggesellschaft Delta Air Lines eine Kooperation geschlossen. Toyota hat als Hauptanteilseigner etwa insgesamt 400 Millionen US-Dollar in Joby gesteckt und liefert Komponenten, vor zweieinhalb Jahren beendete hingegen der Fahrdienstvermittler Uber die Zusammenarbeit mit dem Unternehmen. Quelle: ‚Heise.de‚ / Joby Aviation‚.

EASA proposes rules for VTOL operations, including air taxis

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has proposed rules for the safe operations of Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft (VTOL), which includes air taxis, paving the way for these innovative aircraft to take to the skies in Europe’s cities. “I am happy to release this Opinion to the European Commission, which is once again the first proposal on this topic to be issued worldwide. With this, we will achieve a harmonised regulatory framework to ensure the safe, sustainable, and secure introduction of VTOL operations,” said EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky. “This is the last piece of regulation required to enable the launch of VTOL and air taxi services for Innovative Air Mobility,” Ky added. “Once this has passed into law, individual manufacturers and operators will of course need to obtain all the required approvals from various authorities, but the framework rules for these operations will be complete.”

The Opinion introduces a comprehensive set of operational requirements for piloted electric air taxis, spanning the domains of operations, flight crew licensing, rules of the air and air traffic management. The proposed rules also establish criteria and processes for the certification and maintenance of drones. Once adopted, this Opinion will complement already existing EU regulations and guidance material for operations of unmanned aircraft, specifications for vertiport design, unmanned traffic management known in Europe as U-space, and the certification of VTOL-capable aircraft. Source: ‚EASA‚. More Information.

Lilium Partners with Bristow on Electric Air Mobility

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Leading provider of helicopter transportation plans to purchase 50 Lilium all-electric jets and provide Part 145 maintenance services in Florida and other U.S. and European markets. Bristow Group Inc., the leader in innovative and sustainable vertical flight solutions, and Lilium N.V., developer of an electric vertical-takeoff and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, announced today a strategic partnership where Bristow will have the option to purchase 50 Lilium Jets in addition to providing maintenance services for the Lilium Jet’s launch network in Florida, and other future U.S and European markets. The non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) outlines the collaboration between Bristow and Lilium on the development of a maintenance program to support the operation of the Lilium Jet, including the ramp-up of maintenance in support of the Lilium Jet’s entry into service (“EIS”) and post EIS services. The MOU also enables Bristow to become an authorized service provider for Lilium. The MOU further outlines how Lilium and Bristow may collaborate on the process for achieving the relevant regulatory approvals for operating the Lilium Jet in Florida and plans for Bristow to purchase 50 Lilium Jets. Lilium is among the first eVTOL companies to pair certified air carriers with infrastructure developers and support services, such as maintenance and repair and flight training. The addition of Bristow as a Part 145 maintenance provider marks significant progress for Lilium, adding another reputable partner to enable its regional air service in North America and Europe.

Daniel Wiegand, Co-Founder and CEO of Lilium, said, “The Bristow partnership builds on our existing partnerships with other best-in-class organizations. Like our other partners, Bristow is regarded as the best in their field. They are a leading maintenance provider with incredible operational experience. Lilium is committed to working together with the best aviation partners to enable a successful commercial entry for the Lilium Jet.” Bristow is the global leader in innovative and sustainable vertical aviation solutions to some of the world’s leading offshore energy companies. Bristow is actively transforming its business to embrace innovative and sustainable technology including eVTOL aircraft. “Leveraging our 70+ year legacy of innovative and sustainable vertical flight to partner with companies like Lilium to usher in a new era of vertical flight solutions is a cornerstone of Bristow’s future operational outlook,” said Christopher Bradshaw, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bristow. “Bristow has played a key role in successfully introducing several new VTOL platforms for the past 50+ years, so it is a natural evolution for us to take a leading role in the new and exciting Advanced Air Mobility market and lend our expertise to innovative and dynamic companies like Lilium. We are excited about the future of vertical lift and the important role Bristow and companies like Lilium will play together.” The proposed arrangement between Bristow and Lilium is subject to the parties finalizing commercial terms and entering into definitive agreements with respect thereto, and the satisfaction of certain conditions. Source: ‚Lilium / News Releases‚.

Volocopter’s 4seater Takes First Flight

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At the UP. Summit of June 13th, at the annual gathering of leaders in transportation innovation hosted by investment firm UP. Partners, urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter announced that it has achieved another milestone to bring UAM to life: its fixed-winged passenger aircraft, the VoloConnect, completed its first flight in May 2022. This accomplishment makes Volocopter the only eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) developer in the Western hemisphere to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations undergoing flight tests.*

Volocopter’s third product solution, the VoloConnect, offers further and faster journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft to date, with a range of over 60 mi and flight speeds above 155 mph. The passenger plane’s extended range and higher payload will bring business travellers and commuters beyond the city centre on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, CA. With the VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxi designs fulfilling demands for metropolitan flights and suburban connections in densely populated regions respectively, Volocopter is ready to serve a broader range of passengers’ flight needs. Moreover, the VoloConnect is targeting a 2026 entry into service, while the VoloCity is targeting a commercial launch in 2024. Read more.

Lilium partners with Honeywell and DENSO

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“Lilium”, developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, has partnered with Honeywell and DENSO, who will co-develop and manufacture the Lilium Jet’s electric motor (e-motor) that will power the Lilium Jet’s engines. Honeywell is already developing the Lilium Jet’s avionics and flight control systems and invested in Lilium in 2021. A leader in aerospace technologies with over 100 years of experience, Honeywell also has an alliance with automotive giant DENSO to develop aerospace electric propulsion solutions. Through this collaboration, the Lilium Jet’s e-motor will benefit from Honeywell’s aerospace expertise as well as DENSO’s experience in high-quality volume production.

The Lilium e-motor is a proprietary, high-performance system, on which Lilium, DENSO and Honeywell teams have been working for nearly two years. It is expected to bring exceptional performance and reliability with zero operating emissions typically associated with commercial jet engines. An air-cooled design offers structural simplicity and ease of maintenance compared with traditional liquid cooling systems, and therefore has the potential to significantly reduce aircraft operating costs. The e-motor has its rotor and stator in a centrifugal or ‘radial’ configuration, compared to traditional axial designs. This lowers the component’s weight, manufacturing costs and susceptibility to foreign object damage. It also boasts industry-leading power density, with the first prototypes designed to extract over 100kW of power from a system weighing just over 4kg.

Yves Yemsi, Chief Operating Officer of Lilium said: “Lilium’s Procurement strategy is to engage with the technology providers with the most suitable expertise. We are already making great progress with Honeywell on its Honeywell Anthem integrated flight deck and flight control computers, and we are delighted to deepen our relationship by also partnering with Honeywell and DENSO on our e-motor. The collaboration with these two powerhouses takes us further along the path to revolutionizing regional air mobility.” Stéphane Fymat, vice president and general manager of Urban Air Mobility, Honeywell Aerospace said: “Honeywell has been at the forefront of innovation in aviation for a century, and we are proud to closely collaborate with DENSO and help usher in the age of electric flight. Lilium’s innovation, combined with our experience in aerospace, will help to bring about a cleaner, more sustainable ways for people to travel for centuries to come.” Koji Ishizuka, senior director of the Electric Sora-Mobi Business Promotion Department at DENSO, said: “DENSO’s focus is powering the shift to a green, safe and seamless mobility future for all. We’re grateful to work with Honeywell and Lilium on making air travel cleaner and more efficient, and in doing so, we have the opportunity to apply our electrification expertise to vehicles on land and in the sky.” Source: ‚Lilium‚.

Lilium NV – The Losing Horse in the eVTOL Race

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Summary of findings

  • German company Lilium is building an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) — the Lilium Jet. Its objective is for the Jet to fly up to 155 miles. But none of Lilium’s demonstrators have flown for more than three minutes even after seven years of work. eVTOL industry leader Joby Aviation Inc. has flown 150 miles on its current model.
  • Many experts have raised serious doubts about the Jet’s ability to fly 155 miles. This is largely due to its configuration of 36 ducted fans (recently reduced to 30) that devour power during takeoff and landing (hovering), and leaves little power for actual flight.
  • Against these criticisms, Lilium argued that battery consumption would be minimized as little time would be spent in hover (take off and landing). One engineer told us that Lilium underestimates the hover time that will be required by aviation regulators.
  • Lilium promises its Jet has ready access to battery cells with energy density of 320-330 Wh/kg. One of the sources it relies on to show these batteries are within reach is Zenlabs Energy Inc. Zenlabs is a 34.8% Lilium-owned associated company whose CEO Sujeet Kumar was accused by General Motors of misrepresenting battery performance, while at his previous company Envia Systems.
  • CEO Daniel Wiegand had no meaningful professional aerospace experience before starting Lilium in 2015. His alma mater, the Technical University of Munich, criticised the Lilium Jet’s concept. The university wanted no association with Lilium.
  • Both Joby and Lilium hope aviation authorities will certify their eVTOLs for commercial flight in 2023. This means both firms must have sufficient test flights for certification credit to hit that target. Joby is closer to the mark with ~1,000 test flights under its belt. Lilium is likely to miss the 2023 target by miles. It has completed less than 50 test flights on its fourth and fifth (current) demonstrators. We believe the design of its Jet further complicates the certification process.
  • We estimate that Lilium has about 18 months before its cash runs dry.
  • Lilium announced in August 2021 that Brazilian airline Azul ordered 220 jets for $1bn. We believe the deal is more akin to a ‘marketing agreement’: Lilium offered cheap shares to Azul in exchange for the right to market an established company as a partner. Such stock-for-image deals rarely lead to real business.
  • Around 177 million Lilium shares (~68% of the company’s total outstanding shares) worth ~$652m will be unlocked for sale today.

Overview of Lilium
Lilium NV was founded in 2015 to develop electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).
The air-taxi startup has gone through five iterations of its eVTOL — the Lilium Jet — over the last seven years. Its end-goal is to commercialize the Jet in 2024, assuming all aviation regulatory hurdles are cleared, and provide regional air mobility services (ticket sales) and sell aircraft to corporations, cargo companies, and wealthy individuals.
The pitch to investors is for Lilium to transport more passengers with its differentiated technology, and over longer distances [Pg 5 of March 2021 investor presentation] than peers such as Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. The Jet has an unconventional design with a propulsion system consisting of 36 wing flaps. These flaps serve as lifting and control surfaces and each contains a ducted electric fan — a design that emits less noise according to Lilium.

Lilium is one of many startups in the crowded and competitive electric aviation space (see below). The company went public after its reverse merger with SPAC Qell Acquisition Corp on 14 September 2021. Its market cap was ~$1bn as of 11 March 2022. Source: ‚Iceberg-research‘.

Partnership „Netjets + Lilium“

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Found on the website of Netjets: At NetJets, we know that sustainability is not a trend for private aviation, but it’s future. In continued support of our sustainability goals, we are proud to announce our partnership with Lilium®, a Munich-based manufacturer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jets. In this partnership, NetJets has the right to purchase up to 150 Lilium jets for use in our shared ownership program and will provide operations support for Lilium’s upcoming Florida hub. Like NetJets, FlightSafety International is a Berkshire Hathaway company and will also partner to provide Crew training products and services that will support Lilium operations.

A forward-thinking partnership
As the eVTOL market grows, regional air mobility and private aviation sustainability are growing in tandem—a true reflection of our industry’s future. NetJets retains an industry-leading position by recognizing and investing in companies such as Lilium, which know the future of air travel must be sustainable to become commonplace. That is why our partnership includes operations support for Lilium in Florida because decisions at NetJets—the owner and operator of the world’s largest, most diverse private fleet—have a ripple effect, and our adoption speaks volumes.

Zero-emission travel to nearby destinations
Fly to a nearby getaway, visit a relative a few cities over, or make the most of your next day trip. Travelling on a Lilium jet means considerably less carbon impact than taking a gas-fueled car to the same destination, thanks to 100% electric power. And with eVTOL technology, helipad infrastructure becomes available, expanding access to departure and takeoff locations. Travel to your NetJets aircraft with ease, depart from and arrive in more convenient fixed-base operators (FBOs), and enjoy more time savings on short legs, all while reducing your environmental impact. Source: ‚Netjets‘.