The Indian electric aircraft start-up, The ePlane Company, has agreed to supply 788 air ambulances to ICATT, an air ambulance service provider, in a deal valued at over $1 billion. ICATT plans to deploy these electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft across all districts in India. These eVTOLs are designed to revolutionize urban travel by providing a means to avoid traffic congestion.

The ePlane Company is targeting commercial operations by the latter half of 2026, with an initial production of 100 units per year. The aircraft will have an initial range of approximately 110 kilometers (68.4 miles), which can later be increased to over 200 kilometers. The company will start with three ambulance prototypes, each accommodating a pilot, a paramedic, a patient, and a stretcher.

The ePlane Company was founded in 2019 by Satya Chakravarthy, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, where the startup is incubated. Chakravarthy estimates that an additional $100 million will be required to manufacture more prototypes, achieve type certification, and begin commercial production. The company has raised $20 million from investors so far. ePlane is also working on an electric air taxi and anticipates manned air taxi testing by mid-2025.

ePlane aims to revolutionise urban mobility with its all-electric, zero-emission air taxi, designed as one of the most compact eVTOL aircraft. The company's mission is to alleviate global traffic congestion through safe, sustainable, and intra-city flying experiences. ePlane is the first private Indian company to receive Design Organisation Approval (DoA) from India's DGCA for an electric aircraft and holds several patents.

Agency