Flying Taxi Made By IIT-Madras Startup Will Make Travel 10 Times Faster

A flying taxi prototype build by a start-up that was incubated out of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) recently made waves at Aero India in Bengaluru. The prototype can carry about 50 kilogram of payload per trip and it can travel for up to 200 kilometres on a single charge.

Built by a company called ePlane, the flying taxi could make travel 10 times faster, its website states.

ePlane Company

Replacing road taxis with air taxis

With a 5x5 metre footprint, the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle is the size of an SUV and can seat two people, including a human pilot. The fully electric flying vehicle can complete a 60 minute trip on a car in less than 14 minutes, ePlane claims.

The flying vehicle's four ducted fans act as propellers. According to the makers of e200, two variants include cargo and daily intra-city commute.

Also read: Future Is Coming: Suzuki And SkyDrive Are Building 'Flying Cars' For India

ePlane Company

Before the flying taxi can be launched commercially, the prototype would have to go through aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The company claims that its aim is to replace road taxis and to commercialise air taxies for a similar price. The launch window is set for next year and we should find a price tag only then.

ePlane company

Also read: Dubai's Pilot Batch Of Flying Taxis To Take Off By 2026; Here's The First Look

According ePlane, their flying taxi could be used for "cargo and industrial use cases for transport of goods for last mile and mid-mile deliveries." In addition, the flying vehicle is aimed at "replacing luxury cars and for helicopter taxi companies [that can replace their] current helicopter fleet."

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