Indian electric aircraft startup The ePlane Company has signed a non-binding agreement to supply 788 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air ambulances to ICATT, an air ambulance service provider, in a deal valued at over $1 billion. The aircraft are expected to be deployed across all districts in India, offering a potential solution to the country’s worsening urban congestion.
“We can ramp up our production and put things into the market to good use much more effectively with an air ambulance than directly going to an air taxi,” said Satya Chakravarthy, founder of The ePlane Company. “It’s possible for us to ramp up air ambulances a lot more organically, compared to having to go to a rush with an air taxi.”
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The company aims to begin commercial operations in the second half of 2026, initially producing 100 units annually. The eVTOL aircraft will have an initial range of approximately 110 kilometers (68.4 miles), with plans to extend this beyond 200 kilometers.
The startup, incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, has raised $20 million from investors and plans to start with three prototype air ambulances. Each unit will be designed to accommodate a pilot, a paramedic, and a patient with a stretcher.
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Chakravarthy noted that an additional $100 million would be required to develop more prototypes, obtain type certification, and begin commercial production.
India’s emerging eVTOL market includes companies such as Archer Aviation and Sarla Aviation, as firms work toward battery-powered aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing to transform urban air mobility.
Source: Reuters