Lilium N.V. (NASDAQ: LILM), developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet, announced that it is extending its existing partnership with InoBat. InoBat is expected to provide high-volume production of the Lilium Jet’s high-performance battery cells. The continued partnership reaffirms Lilium’s multiple-sourcing strategy for cell production and will contribute towards securing a healthy supply of Lilium’s battery cells for entry into service of the Lilium Jet and the years thereafter.
InoBat will build Lilium Jet battery cells at its existing Volta I and future Volta II plants in Voderady, Slovakia. Production at the Volta I plant is due to start in early 2024. The Volta II plant will be InoBat’s first gigafactory with up to 4 gigawatt hours (GWh) of production capacity, just a fraction of which is expected to be required to supply Lilium’s battery cell needs in the coming years. Gotion High-Tech, supplier of the Unified Cell that is due to be installed in up to 80% of all Volkswagen Group’s future electric vehicles, holds a 25 percent stake in InoBat. Gotion High-Tech, whose largest external shareholder is Volkswagen Group, will contribute resources and manufacturing know-how to ramp-up the capacity at InoBat’s Volta II plant.
Lilium, which participated in InoBat’s recent Series C investment round, will retain its valuable intellectual property rights in the Lilium Jet battery technology. Multiple third-party testing campaigns carried out on prototype Lilium battery cells have demonstrated the energy capacity, power and cycle life of this cutting-edge battery cell technology.
Yves Yemsi, COO of Lilium, said: “We are delighted to move ahead with InoBat towards high-volume production of Lilium Jet battery cells. Consistent with best practice and our stated strategy, we expect that multiple cell suppliers will support our aircraft program, with the aim to ensure a reliable volume production of battery cells for years to come.”
Marian Bocek, Co-Founder and CEO of InoBat remarked: “Lilium’s vision to revolutionize air travel and its commitment to innovation strongly align with our core strategy in the global EV market. With the support of Gotion High-Tech, we look forward to taking our ongoing collaboration with Lilium to the next level and helping Lilium secure high-volume, high-quality deliveries of its advanced battery cells.”
Steven Cai, Board Member and CTO at Gotion High-Tech commented: “At Gotion High-Tech, we aim to play a pivotal role in the transition towards a carbon-neutral world. Through our partnership with InoBat, we look forward to bringing high-performance electrical power to Europe’s eVTOL industry.”
