German eVTOL aircraft developer Lilium has submitted 37 new patent applications, all of which the European Patent Office (EPO) has published, the company said Wednesday. The patents would apply to engineering inventions for the core technology around the Lilium Jet, spanning several domains: energy, propulsion, structures and interior, avionics, and custom electric. Seventy percent of the applications involve energy and propulsion, said Lilium.
The applications constitute part of a batch of 50 Lilium filed throughout 2021, and the company said it plans more over the next year. Applications with the EPO will, if accepted, secure Lilium’s intellectual property in Europe, while Lilium extends patents in other key markets, including the U.S. and China.
“We are excited that Lilium is creating and protecting the radical engineering innovations that make the Lilium Jet unique,” said Lilium co-founder and CEO.Daniel Wiegand. “The applications published today serve as a testament to our engineers’ ingenuity and commitment to pushing the limits of technology and reinforcing Lilium’s place at the forefront of eVTOL development. These patent filings move us one step closer to commercialization of the Lilium Jet, but they also stand to strengthen innovation in the aviation industry as a whole, with areas like energy needing constant investment in novel and sustainable systems and technologies.”
Lilium recently pushed back the projected timeline to achieve type certification of its seven-seat Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft by potentially 12 or more months, into 2025. In a blog released to coincide with a conference on March 31 for more than 70 of its suppliers, Wiegand reported that the Germany-based company will now start building the first production-conforming aircraft for the EASA type certification process in 2023. Wiegand indicated that the decision to delay is based on “the current status of design activities to develop the safest possible aircraft, our discussions with regulators, and even taking into account the continued supply chain disruption.”
The piloted, seven-seat Lilium Jet is intended to operate to a range of 155 miles and fly at speeds up to 175 mph. Lilium believes it could scale the design for a version that would accommodate between 10 and 15 seats.
