Lilium this week completed the assembly of the first high-voltage electrical harness for the Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft. According to the company, the harness system is a key component in the all-electric aircraft’s safety-critical power distribution architecture.
The harness consists of cables bundled into a single secure sleeve for protection, as well as to make best use of the limited available space and to simplify the installation process in the airframe. Essentially, these act as the aircraft’s main electrical arteries, distributing power from 10 batteries located in the sides of the fuselage to the 30 ducted electric motors in the six-passenger Lilium Jet’s wing and canard.
The technology has been developed in partnership with GKN Aerospace and connector specialist Rosenberger and is protected by U.S. and European patents. Optimizing the required high performance while minimizing weight was a key objective in enabling a voltage of more than 900 V.
According to Lilium, the integration of the first harness is an important milestone as it steps up work to assemble the first full-scale examples of the Lilium Jet ready to start flight testing next year. In September, the Germany-based company started assembling the aircraft’s electric propulsion system and its aerostructures partner Aciturri completed construction of the first composite fuselage.
“We are delighted with the progress made in building this section of the electrical wiring system,” said Lilium COO Yves Yemsi. “Today’s milestone again confirms our approach of partnering with established aerospace suppliers for an efficient aircraft development program.”
