Archer Aviation has secured a competitive bid to acquire Lilium GmbH’s portfolio of roughly 300 advanced air mobility patents for €18 million, the company announced Wednesday at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas. The acquisition adds patents covering technologies such as ducted fans, high-voltage systems, battery management, and advanced flight controls. With the addition, Archer’s patent portfolio now exceeds 1,000 assets worldwide, strengthening its position in the rapidly evolving electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) sector.
Founded in 2015, Lilium spent more than $1.5 billion developing its eVTOL platform and associated technologies, which Archer described as “technologically ahead of its time.”
“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, Archer’s founder and CEO.
The acquired assets include what Archer believes to be the leading patent portfolio in ducted fan technology, a key component in efficient electric propulsion systems.
The acquisition follows a wave of consolidation in the advanced air mobility industry. Archer said the addition of Lilium’s technologies will bolster U.S. leadership in next-generation electric aviation and could support future development in the light-sport and regional air mobility sectors.
I don’t get all the whoopla and press over eVTOL aircraft. ALL the eVTOL companies are vying for a very small subset of the aviation short hall business. None of them can make it non stop SFO to JFK or SFO to HNL with an economically supporting load. LAX to SFO (400 mile ish) seems to be their focus. How many of these aircraft can the current ATC system support? Another thousand a day? Everybody is up in arms re fossil fuel air pollution and I get it. What ever happened to the SAF program? Jet engines can run on that stuff. We can use the equipment we have and go where we want with the current equipment. If an airline orders a new Boeing or Airbus today what is the delivery date? 3 years / 5 years away? And those will come with jet engines! How about some press on the SAF program. Enough with the extension cord airplanes.