Lilium N.V., developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, announced today that it has signed an agreement with mobility technology and industrial leader DENSO, a Fortune 500 giant, for technical assistance in optimizing production at scale of the Lilium Jet's revolutionary electric engine. DENSO, a leader in powertrain electrification and the world's second largest automotive parts provider by sales, will support Lilium in developing equipment and tooling for an efficient, scalable production ramp-up and preparing automation for high-volume production of the Lilium Jet engine and its subsystems.

Providing millions of critical parts each year to some of the largest and most renowned global carmakers, DENSO will be sharing nearly 75 years of expertise with Lilium to design reliable, competitive, high-volume manufacturing processes. DENSO is currently supplying the stator and rotor subsystems of the Lilium Jet engine as part of its alliance with Honeywell, a tier-one aerospace supplier to Lilium.

Yves Yemsi, COO of Lilium, said: “We're delighted to be able to intensify our cooperation with DENSO and draw on their wealth of experience as we move towards industrializing the engine assembly. With DENSO's support, we look forward to creating and implementing scalable solutions for high-volume production of the Lilium Jet engine.”

Koji Ishizuka, Senior Director Urban Air Mobility at DENSO, remarked: “At DENSO, we aim to power the shift towards safe, sustainable, and seamless mobility for all. Through our cooperation with Lilium, we see the potential to accelerate this shift and welcome the opportunity to support the development of large-scale sustainable regional air mobility.”

First engine build

In September, Lilium started assembly of the first Lilium Jet electric engine at its dedicated facilities in Wessling, Germany, with the first build now completed. In the next phase, Lilium Jet engines will be integrated for further testing into the aircraft propulsion mounting system, the unique flap structure that forms the rear part of the wings and front canards. The Lilium Jet e-motor has been designed to deliver industry-leading power density of over 100kW from a system weighing just over 4kg.