Commuting is a frustrating affair for most urban residents in India. Endless traffic jams, coupled with choked roads, make getting around cities a struggle. This startup aims to provide relief through an innovative mode of transportation – flying taxis.
ePlane Company is developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can beat traffic by transporting people through the skies. The potential to revolutionize urban transportation makes this one of the hottest aviation startups to watch.
Since childhood, ePlane co-founders Satya Chakravarthy and Pranjal Mehta have been fascinated with flying. As budding engineers, they channelled this passion into designing aircraft. During their undergraduate studies at IIT Madras, they built award-winning drones and represented India in international competitions.
The idea takes off: A turning point
The turning point came when they met Dr. R. Sivakumar, a renowned aerospace scientist. He recognised their talent and selected Satya and Pranjal to work at IIT’s National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD). There, they began developing prototypes for electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles.
After initial successes, they incorporated the ePlane Company in 2020 to commercialize this technology. The young founders aimed to make intra-city flying taxis powered by clean electric propulsion a reality in India.
Solving Urban commute woes
ePlane’s vision aligns closely with the emerging Urban Air Mobility space, focused on air transport solutions for cities. Traffic congestion costs India over $22 billion annually and wastes millions of hours in commuting. eVTOLs provide rapid city-to-city mobility by enabling passengers to fly over congested roads. They take off and land vertically without requiring long runways.
Compared to helicopters, which are noisy, unsafe, and unaffordable for most people, these “flying taxis” will provide a fast, economical, and eco-friendly ridesharing alternative. ePlane aims to launch an early passenger service as soon as 2026, with commercialization at scale by 2028 across megacities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
Bringing eVTOL models to market
Unlike international startups operating stealth prototypes in secret test centres, ePlane has publicly showcased multiple demonstrator aircraft models. Their subscale eVTOL technology prototype production started in 2021.
e200 is a two-seater model designed for short intra-city hops under 50 km. The autonomous hybrid-electric model has a swappable modular design that enables interchanging payloads and extending flight range.
The 4-seater eplane4 variant targets regional connectivity across a 400km+ radius. Its lift-plus cruise configuration suits longer routes, with the 20-minute recharge enabling multiple trips. Both models are compatible with existing charging infrastructure.
The startup’s newest offering, the luxury 6-seater eplane6, unveiled recently, can transport executives in bespoke comfort across cities. ePlane is also developing larger cargo capacity eVTOLs for logistics and medical transport applications.
Technology powering the future of air travel
ePlane utilizes next-gen aviation, energy, and battery technologies to achieve reliable, safe, and sustainable air taxi operations. Their vehicles leverage distributed electric propulsion through multiple horizontally-placed propellers. Lightweight materials like advanced composites reduce vehicle weight to maximize per-charge range.
Sophisticated flight controllers guide flawless transitions between vertical take-off and forward flight. eVTOL models operate autonomously, utilizing complex algorithms and sensor suites. Machine vision cameras, LiDAR, RADAR, ultrasonics, and more enable precise tracking, detection, and collision avoidance.
For managing air traffic, ePlane partners with ANRA technologies to develop an AI platform providing navigation, communications, and fleet handling. Multiple layers of hardware and software redundancy maximize safety. Rigorous testing under diverse simulated conditions ensures the vehicles withstand harsh real-world turbulence.
Currently over 60 people strong, ePlane’s founding duo continues leading engineering design, supported by a growing talent pool of IIT and IISc alumni. The team attracts youth eager to define the future of mobility. Their nimble size fosters rapid innovation cycles to deliver new models faster than global competitors.
Dr. R. Sivakumar’s extensive guidance and networking help forge partnerships with major component makers. Investor Mohandas Pai’s business mentorship assists in planning regulatory approvals and route infrastructure. Eminent global aerospace veterans like Airbus’ former India head further strengthen ePlane’s credibility.
Partnering with state governments
ePlane has signed MOUs with five Indian state governments keen to host air taxi infrastructure. Their sustained public demonstrations led India’s aviation regulator to announce guidelines for certifying eVTOLs last year. Recently, GMR Hyderabad International Airport allocated space for an eVTOL vertiport.
Its vehicles grabbed eyeballs flying around the Singapore Air Show and at Aero India 2023. ePlane also wet-leased their models for a drone air taxi sequence in the movie “Dhaka Attack.”
The startup is furiously testing to meet certification standards to conduct piloted test flights this year.
ePlane funding
So far, the startup has raised $20 million in funding from institutional backers like Speciale Invest, Micelio, and others. Last year, It received additional capital from investors like Vedanshu Investments.
ePlane aims to accelerate R&D of production models, secure regulatory approvals, and enable a 2026 market entry.
Once services commence, an innovative passenger-based business model will generate revenues from per-seat ticket sales. It targets to control the entire value chain from manufacturing vehicles in-house to directly managing consumer air taxi fleets via an Uber-like app platform.
Turbulence ahead & future course
Urban Air Mobility adoption faces turbulence like airspace complexity, lack of vertiports, high costs, and safety assurance. ePlane mitigates risks through deep tech innovation and collaborative infrastructure development with partners.
Satya and Pranjal recognize that electrifying aviation promises enormous upside despite near-term challenges. Their goal is to make eVTOLs ubiquitous as affordable public transport. ePlane’s advanced R&D and pilot project pipeline aim to cement India’s leadership in this nascent global market.
Like automobile pioneers helped the common masses realize the convenience of individual cars over public trains and buses, ePlane strives to create a paradigm shift. The founders envision a future where flying taxi rides become an everyday experience accessible across societal strata.
Conclusion
ePlane Company’s electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles can transform urban mobility while cutting emissions. Their rapid strides towards manufacturing and launching eVTOL air taxi services in Indian cities by 2026 promise to turn the dream of flying cars into reality. Backed by sound technology and youthful zeal, this innovative startup seems skybound for success.
