Indian electric aircraft startup, The ePlane Company, announced on Monday that it has secured a deal worth over $1 billion to supply 788 air ambulances as the country faces increasing traffic congestion in its bustling cities.
Under a non-binding agreement, The ePlane Company will supply electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to ICATT, an air ambulance service provider, which aims to deploy them across all districts in India.
eVTOLs, powered by batteries, are set to transform urban transportation by enabling vertical takeoff and landing, offering commuters a way to bypass traffic congestion.
India’s emerging eVTOL market also features companies like Archer Aviation and Sarla Aviation.
According to its founder, Satya Chakravarthy, ePlane aims to launch commercial operations by late 2026, starting with an annual production of 100 units.
“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,” Chakravarthy said. “It’s possible for us to ramp up air ambulances more organically than going to a rush with an air taxi.”
The aircraft’s range will initially be approximately 110 kilometres (68.4 miles), with plans to extend it to over 200 kilometres.
ePlane, which has raised $20 million from investors to date, plans to begin with three air ambulance prototypes designed to accommodate a pilot, a paramedic, a patient, and a stretcher.
Satya Chakravarthy, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, which incubates the startup, stated that the company will raise an additional $100 million to produce more prototypes in different forms, secure type certification, and launch commercial production.
