Bringing electric flying taxis to Indian skies will be no easy feat. But that’s precisely what The ePlane Company hopes to achieve in two years.
The company, founded by Indian Institute of Technology Madras Professor Satya Chakravarthy and IITian Pranjal Mehta, looks to revolutionise urban mobility with its fleet of compact electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
ePlane claims that its electric flying taxi, dubbed “e200”, will make door-to-door travel 10 times faster at twice the price of a comparable Uber ride. Additionally, e200 “takes off like a drone and flies a plane”. It will be able to take off and land from the rooftop of a 2-3 bedroom apartment and requires no elaborate infrastructure such as a helipad or runway.
While a non-flying prototype has already been stationed at India’s pavilion at the Dubai Expo, the company plans to have a flying prototype ready by September 2022.
Getting the aircraft’s wheels off ground will not be a smooth ride, aviation experts said.
“It is a great idea, however, it will be a challenge since India doesn’t have relevant parts supply under a vendor-supplier base to ensure production,” said Mark Martin, chief executive at aviation industry consultancy Martin Consulting LLC.
“A lot of the technology exists in Europe, China and the US, and bringing this to India would mean a transfer of technology (ToT) and these companies would not want to let go of their proprietary intellectual property. Also, India will really have to build up a raw material supply chain to support manufacturing of such components,” Martin added.
Unit economics
If the company manages to get its first e-plane airborne by the end of 2024, it will become India’s first air taxi provider using e-planes, said Professor Chakravarthy.
But before that, the company will have to get its aircraft certified under existing regulations. “We will be applying for the certification in April. It starts with design certification,” said Chakravarthy. The certification will ensure the safety of the flight based on its design and will not require the presentation of an actual plane.
“And between the certification and the launch of operations, there is a 300-day period where we will make multiple prototypes through the middle of the next year and accumulate flying hours,” he added.
“The plane is an eVTOL with a five-metre wingspan and five-metre from nose to tail and is a 2-seater that will include a pilot and one passenger,” Chakravarthy said.
Aviation experts worried about unit economics.
“I think a one-pax carrying capacity is tricky to make a sustainable business. But it will all boil down to cost per km,” said Rohit Tomar, the managing partner of consulting firm Caladrius Aero Consulting.
Also, some cities, known for traffic congestion, already have helicopter services.
The cost structure and unit economics in managing these helicopters are very prohibitive in nature and “which is why many people who even own helicopters don’t use them frequently,” Chakravarthy pointed out.
ePlane plans to start setting up a plant in 2023 with an initial annual production capacity of 100 planes, with Bengaluru and Mumbai as its entry markets. It also wants to enter the logistics segment eventually.
Hurdles galore
In addition to the aviation industry’s poor record in all things manufacturing, consultants also raised concerns about the regulatory challenges the company might face.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation is extremely stringent and that makes it difficult to get clearances, Mark Martin said.
“They are not insurmountable challenges. We have to keep our focus, develop a good product, and go to market with it. If we show value, it will make a compelling case for everyone to support - be it customers,
investors, or the government,” Chakravarthy said.
The company also pointed out some success stories.
“Tata Advanced Systems Limited is one prime example of fully manufacturing a 12-seater Pilatus aircraft under licensed production for export by the OEM, besides making large parts like Apache helicopter fuselage section for Boeing, GE’s Leap engine casing, and similar large components for Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky,” it said.
Electric planes offer unique advantages in terms of the cost of making, operating and maintaining them, ePlane founders pointed out.
“Our aircraft is configured to be the most accessible in tight spaces and affordable to most people. This is a new disruption that the aviation industry has not been familiar with so far. That’s the startup attitude,” Chakravarthy said.
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