Air taxi maker Lilium receives major EASA eVTOL development authorization
German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) plane startup Lilium has obtained authorization from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that will allow it far greater flexibility and range in developing its future battery-powered air taxi toward certification.
Munich-based Lilium announced it had received the EASA’s Design Organization Approval for its continuing eVTOL activities, which it hopes to cap with certification of its air taxi and private electric jet aircraft in coming years. The development is notable for both the company and the sector’s push to bring sustainable next generation craft into operation – though one thick in arcane administrative language and definitions.
The EASA’s own explanation of its Design Organization Approval is seemingly crafted to provoke either narcolepsy or insanity. Lilium’s description of the authorization isn’t much better in calling it “a seal of quality assurance for companies in aviation design, formally acknowledging a company’s ability to design and develop safe and compliant aircraft.”
Rendered in terms actual humans can digest, the authorization essentially designates an aircraft developer’s design, wider industrial project, procedures, components, and suppliers as sufficiently sound and capable to pursue plans on its own.
As such, Lilium may now push on with the development, testing, and preparation of its eVTOL without the usual close, recurring EASA oversight – effectively acting as its own regulatory supervisor of its air taxi’s progress toward certification and production.
For readers keen on mastering fuller understanding of Design Organizational Approval (or garden variety masochists out there), a relatively clear definition is provided by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which shares many regulatory standards with the EASA. Meanwhile, Lilium chief technology officer Alastair McIntosh hailed the development in this way:
“In simple terms, the Design Organization Approval is our License to Operate and confirms that Lilium has the organization, procedures, competencies, resources, and demonstrated rigor required to design and certify aircraft according to the very highest safety standards,” McIntosh said. “Receiving Design Organization Approval from EASA further motivates us on our path to commercialize the revolutionary Lilium Jet.”
The recognition indeed marks a major milestone – and a piece of very good news – for Lilium, which over the past year has generated more headlines with its financial difficulties than cutting-edge aviation tech.
For starters, obtaining Design Organization Approval from the EASA is a mandatory step for any eVTOL company hoping to manufacture or operate in the European Union. In fulfilling that requirement, Lilium now places itself among the leading firms working to launch air taxi services in Europe sometime after it’s 2025 certification target.
Meanwhile, as it has also done with UK’s CAA, the EASA has been extending its bilateral agreements with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), particularly in terms of certifying next generation craft like eVTOLs. Advantages obtained from its Design Organization Approval in Europe, therefore, will also be applicable to Lilium’s efforts to seek concurrent air taxi and private jet certification in the US.
“In addition to European oversight, EASA’s Design Organization Approval brings significant benefits to our FAA certification process in the US by utilizing the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements to validate the technology and aircraft,” said Lilium chief airworthiness officer Bhavesh Mandalia.
As remarkable as the achievement is, Lilium’s receipt of the EASA’s Design Organizational Approval comes four years after fellow German eVTOL developer Volocopter received the same authorization. That difference in timing also translates into the gap between the two rivals’ air taxi rollout plans.
Volocopter’s early established lead has left it positioned to become the world’s first company to initiate air taxi service, with a planned debut during the Paris Summer Games in 2024. The company’s work towards that objective is so advanced that the sudden threat to its Olympic aerial dream isn’t coming from aeronautical engineers, air traffic controllers, or regulators, but rather the sudden, broad-based opposition from municipal politicians who say the city neither needs or wants its ground-breaking tech in their skies.
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Tesla is going to build a new Megafactory in Texas near Houston, according to a tax abatement agreement with Waller County.
At the time of writing, Tesla had yet to comment on the new project, but the Waller County Commissioners Court confirmed the project on Wednesday when they approved a tax abatement deal with the company:
Under the proposed agreement, Tesla will receive tax abatements from Waller County based on property improvements. The deal includes $44 million in facility improvements and $150 million in Tesla manufacturing equipment that Tesla will install. The next phase involves a new $31 million distribution facility with about $2 million in Tesla distribution equipment and building upgrades.
Tesla is going to take over a 1-million-sq-ft building that it already held the lease on at the Empire West industrial park near Katy, Texas – just outside of Houston.
Logistics company DB Schenker occupied the space where it handled parts for Tesla, but it will move out and Tesla plans to build Megapack production lines at the site:
Tesla will operate a new Megapack battery storage manufacturing facility at a 1 million-square-foot building, which was initially constructed with no tenant on speculation that it would attract jobs and economic development.
Tesla has previously referred to plants producing Megapacks as “Megafactory”. The company already operates one in Lathrop, California, and one in Shanghai, China, where it just started production.
Those factories are set up for a production capacity of 40 GWh worth of Megapacks per year.
It’s not clear if Tesla plans for a similar capacity at this new factory, but the county announced project should result in creating 1,500 jobs.
In addition to the existing building, the project will include the construction of an additional “600,000-square-foot distribution facility with some manufacturing capabilities.”
Unlike its automotive business, Tesla’s energy business has been growing at an impressive pace – although prices and margins have come down last year.
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![Is Genesis taking notes from Porsche? New GV60 Magma caught with the Taycan [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Genesis-GV60-Magma-Porsche-2.jpeg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Genesis is gearing up to unleash its alter ego with its upcoming Magma lineup, its debut into the world of high-performance luxury vehicles. First up is the Genesis GV60 Magma, due out later this year. As testing wraps up, the GV60 Magma was spotted alongside none other than the Porsche Taycan.
The first dedicated Genesis EV model, the GV60, will kick off another new chapter for the Korean luxury automaker.
Genesis unveiled the GV60 Magma last March, claiming it will kick off “the brand’s expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles.” The performance EV includes an improved battery, chassis, and motor for added performance.
The Magma model boasts a wider, lower stance for more control. Other key upgrades include a wider front air intake to help cool the batteries, motor, and brakes. It also includes air curtains to maximize efficiency and an added roof fin channels air to the rear wing, generating downward force.
Genesis upgraded the interior to match the GV60 Magma’s luxurious, sporty design. It includes unique sports car-like bucket seats with exclusive “double-diamond stitching” in the Magma orange and titanium coloring.
Genesis GV60 Magma spotted with the Porsche Taycan
With its official debut coming up, the sporty Genesis GV60 Magma was spotted testing alongside a Porsche Taycan and Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 N models.
Despite the camouflage, the video from CarSpyMedia reveals a few new design elements, like the two-line headlight featured on the updated GV60 model.
Genesis will launch the GV60 Magma later this year in its home market, followed by the US, Europe, and others. Production is scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2025.
Will the Genesis GV60 Magma keep up with the Porsche Taycan or Tesla Model S Plaid? Priced and specs will be revealed closer to launch, but it will sit above the Performance AWD trim, which starts at $69,900 in the US. With up to 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, it can hit 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.
| Horsepower | 0 to 60 mph (seconds) |
Starting Price | |
| Genesis GV60 Performance | 429 | 3.7 | $69,900 |
| Genesis GV60 Magma | ? | ? | ? |
| Porsche Taycan | 402 | 4.5 | $99,400 |
| Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (with Weissach Package) |
1,092 | 2.1 | $230,000 |
| Tesla Model S Plaid | 1,020 | 1.99 | $89,990 |
In comparison, the Porsche Taycan starts at $99,400 with up to 402 hp and a 0 to 60 mph time in 4.5 seconds. The Taycan Turbo GT, equipped with its Weissach package, packs 1,092 hp for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 2.1 seconds, but it costs $230,000.
Tesla’s Model S Plaid starts at $79,990 and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds with 1,020 horsepower. Which performance EV are you choosing?
Source: CarSpyMedia
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