Lilium, the innovator behind the first fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet, has appointed Blueshift as the principal supplier of thermal protection systems (TPS) for its initial production line of aircraft.
This collaboration entails Blueshift providing its state-of-the-art AeroZero® TPS, designed to complement Lilium’s battery architecture effectively, preventing burn through and reducing the risk of thermal runaway propagation.
Tim Burbey, President of Blueshift, shared his excitement: “We’re thrilled to announce our newfound partnership with Lilium – a leader in the eVTOL aircraft industry. We are supplying our AeroZero® TPS, which provides key protection to Lilium’s core battery components and will help ensure seamless operation of their aircraft.
“We’re looking forward to working with the team at Lilium in protecting their battery packs and other critical areas within their aircraft. Our partnership will prove the incomparable benefits of our technology in promoting a more sustainable method of transportation.”
Blueshift’s offerings are engineered to shield carbon fibre composites and delicate metallic elements, such as aluminium, titanium, and steel. Each of Blueshift’s products is flame retardant, maintains a thickness of less than 1.5mm, and features exceptionally low thermal conductivity and diffusivity.
Its applications are varied, including direct flame and thermal shielding for batteries and enclosures, composite frameworks, structural partitions, as well as mitigating fire spread from thermal runaway in high-capacity batteries.
Numerous products from Blueshift are in the process of evaluation and integration within different segments of battery packs, battery enclosures, external skin/wing protection, and other components of eVTOLs and electric aircraft.
The Lilium Pioneer Edition Jet, the debut version of the Lilium Jet, is set to comfortably seat four passengers, offering estimated non-stop journeys of up to 175 km at 250 km/h upon introduction. The first manned test flight of the Lilium Jet is anticipated in late 2024, with the service launch projected for 2026.
Martin Schuebel, Senior Vice President Procurement at Lilium, remarked: “Blueshift’s thermal protection system is light, thin and easy to incorporate into our strict design requirements, while producing exceptional thermal results.”
