Electric aircraft startup Lilium is working with a German manufacturer of lithium-ion battery cells on a version with a silicon anode for aerospace use..
Customcells supplies international aviation, automotive and military customers, including Porsche, will be one of Lilium’s prime suppliers, manufacturing lithium-ion batteries at scale for the all-electric seven seater Lilium Jet.
The company will use Lilium’s licensed technology to industrialize battery cells for high-quality series production at its Tübingen location. Using equipment from equipment manufacturer Manz, this will be one of the most modern battery cell production lines in Europe says Customcells.
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Customcells has also launched a joint venture with Porsche, the Cellforce Group, to produce high-performance silicon-anode batteries at their Weissach Development Centre.
The guaranteed production capacity at Customcells’ research and production sites in Germany, this partnership will play a crucial role in scaling up production of the 7-Seater Lilium Jet ahead of planned commercial launch in 2024.
“With their extensive experience of designing and producing customised high-performance Li-Ion batteries for automotive and aviation applications, Customcells is an ideal partner to manufacture aerospace-quality battery cells for our jet. They have already set up manufacturing of silicon anode batteries for several of their customers,” said Daniel Wiegand, Co-Founder and CEO of Lilium.
“On the basis of flexible manufacturing concepts, Customcells guarantees high-tech solutions for special applications and tailor-made production of electrodes, electrolytes and battery cells with an outstanding quality and traceability approach, depending on the customer’s requirements profile. This partnership will bring two leading German innovators together and underlines the strength of the German manufacturing and tech ecosystem,” said Leopold König, Co-founder and CEO of Customcells.
Current suppliers to Lilium include Toray Industries, Aciturri, Lufthansa Aviation Training, Honeywell and Palantir, alongside infrastructure leaders, such as the Tavistock Development Company, and Ferrovial, a leading airport operator, who will support the development of up to 14 vertiports in Florida.
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