It’s a bird, it’s a plane… It’s a flying taxi: Rise of low-altitude economy

"We are on the cusp of a major breakthrough in urban air mobility," says Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, founder and CTO of electric aircraft startup The ePlane Company. The startup is building electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to navigate congested urban environments. It is also developing supporting infrastructure for air ambulances and air taxis and is planning a factory to manufacture these aircraft at scale. Excerpts from an interview: How have you progressed on the regulatory front? We have received type certification acceptance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the first company under vertical takeoff and landing capable aircraft (VCA) aimed at electric aircraft. DGCA has also released draft standards for vertiports (designated takeoff and landing pads), draft pilot training regulations, and is expected to roll out norms for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and air traffic control (ATC) soon. We expect all regulatory frameworks to be in place within the next two years, around the time our first commercial aircraft will be ready. What kind of infrastructure do we need for urban air mobility? Our first entry point is air ambulances. To get operations off the ground, we need strong partnerships and physical infrastructure. That includes vertiports around cities and ground transport links for first-mile connectivity between homes and vertiports. We have signed an agreement with International Critical-Care Air Transfer Team (ICATT), which has an ambitious plan to procure around 788 air ambulances. We are finalising cities and locations while working with hospitals, airports and with real estate developers for vertiport development. We are also exploring airport shuttle services and are in talks with several airports for land acquisition. Also, we are exploring the possibility of using the universal car charging network for aircrafts and exploring the providers.  How do you plan on building aircrafts at scale? We will set up a manufacturing facility probably in the middle of next year with a capacity of 100 to 200 aircrafts per year. We have to set up a supply chain and plan to get motors and battery packs, among other things made locally. This year, we will be putting out prototypes for flight testing and getting aircraft certification next year. We are scouting airfields for manned aircraft testing. Our primary focus is India. We would like to tap the markets between the Middle East and Southeast Asia, all the way to Australia.  What is your estimated timeline for commercial deployment? eVTOL companies around the world have been focusing on the aircraft and there is a buzz about the ecosystem. In the next two years, we will see the ecosystem maturing. Next year, we could be at the cusp of a breakthrough. One can expect commercial operations starting in around two and half years, initially in the air ambulance space. Gradually, when it gets to about 50 aircraft flying within the city, we hit critical mass. In the next five years, our focus will be to improve eVTOL performance progressively. We will make more planes with longer range and higher payload. The next step is complete automation – autonomous (pilotless) flights and automated air traffic control. This is the vision for the next five to 10 years. How is your drone business panning out? ePlane's subsidiary Amber Wings has three multicopter variants for agriculture, cargo and monitoring applications. We also have three fixed wing drones focusing on long distance cargo and inspection. We are starting commercialisation of drones. While there is a competition in farm drone space, the demand is significant for all players.