The ePlane Company, a Chennai-based startup, is expected to develop a certifiable prototype of a flying taxi by March 2025 aiming to alleviate urban congestion.
With this, the company which was incubated out of the IIT-Madras, aims to commercialise its drones in the coming months. The drones have a payload capacity of 206 kg.
Satya Chakravarthy, founder and CEO of The ePlane Company said that it is developing an eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft and to begin with, it will be a three or four-seater plane which can be converted into an air ambulance. “By March next year is when we expect to develop the first certifiable prototype. It will take another couple of years to get the certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” Chakravarthy added.
The company on its website claimed that an ePlane will only take 14 minutes to reach a place that usually take an hour’s time.
Moreover, for the drones which the company has planned to commercialise, will initially be out with a basic feature and then an enhanced category will be launched. The company further claimed that both sets of drones, that is 2-6 kg payload and up to 50 kg payload, will be able to fly up to 40-60 kms.
However, in a recent development Indigo’s parent company InterGlobe Enterprises and US-based Archer Aviation has announced plans to launch an all-electric air taxi service in India by 2026, which will avail its services from Cannaught Place to Gurugram in seven minutes.
(with PTI inputs)