A Chennai-based startup company is expected to develop a certifiable prototype of a flying electric taxi by March 2025.
Incubated out of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, ePlane Company hopes to alleviate urban congestion with the flying taxi.
The company also aims to commercialise its drones that can carry a payload of two to six kilograms in the coming months.
Founder and CEO of the company Satya Chakravarthy said it is developing an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft. To begin with, this will be a three or four-seater plane that 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 told news agency PTI.
The company says its vision is "to alleviate congestion in urban spaces by offering accessible, affordable and sustainable flying experiences to people around the world."
According to the company's website, an ePlane will take only 14 minutes to reach a place that would take 60 minutes by a personal vehicle.
The start-up is developing drones, which are expected to be commercialsed in the coming months.
