Archer Aviation won the rights to the patent portfolio of bankrupt Lilium Aerospace with a bid of $21 million. The company says it’s a treasure trove of intellectual property that covers everything about eVTOL development from ducted fan technology to battery control gear. The German company was an early eVTOL pioneer and spent more than $1.5 billion to develop the technology from the ground up. “This acquisition strengthens Archer’s leadership position in next-generation electric aviation and reinforces its commitment to ensuring the U.S. leads the way when it comes to critical eVTOL technology,” the company said in a news release.
Archer says the 350 patents will not just be used for its nascent multi-rotor aircraft but could have applications in private aircraft, including those covered by the Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC) rule enacted in July. “Lilium’s pioneering work advanced the frontier of eVTOL design and technology, and we’re excited to bring their cutting-edge technologies into the fold at Archer as we advance our product roadmap,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer. Archer is displaying a mockup of its Midnight at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, and the winning bid was announced there.
Haven’t seen much on how Lilium’s and other evtol concepts do in non-benign environments…kind of like the powerpoint engineering that suggests blimps would be good logging platforms in the mountains…right up until any wind appears.
What’s the icing behavior of small scale ducted fans? Feature size of Lilium fans relative to icing is order of magnitude smaller than turbojet/fan experience base, perhaps closer to carb or gyro venturi behavior.
…and since high net worth target audience pax would not tolerate sweating and these concepts all seem to show extensive glass canopies…what’s the air conditioning load impact on range or is that managed by keeping them constantly chilled while charging/on call?