Flying electric taxis in India by 2025? Anand Mahindra said THIS

Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, has hinted India will likely receive its first electric air taxi by next year.

In a post on X, Mahindra said, “The eplane company. A company being incubated at IIT Madras to build a flying electric taxi by sometime next year.”

He noted, “IIT Madras has become one of the WORLD’s most exciting and active incubators. Thanks to them and the rapidly growing number of ambitious incubators throughout India, we’re no longer seen as a country that lacks genuine innovators.”

He further added, “Audacious aspirations matter. Accept no limits.”

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Earlier in April, PTI reported that the ePlane Company, a startup based in Chennai, is poised to develop a certified prototype of a flying electric taxi to address urban congestion issues by March of next year.

Set in IIT, Madras, the company is also focusing on commercialising its drones, which have the capacity to carry payloads ranging from 2 to 6 kilograms, in the near future, a senior executive said.

The ePlane Company's founder and CEO Satya Chakravarthy told PTI that it is developing an eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft and to begin with, it will be a three or four-seater plane which can be converted into an air ambulance.

“By March next year is when we expect to develop the first certifiable prototype. It will take another couple of years to get the certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” Chakravarthy told PTI.

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According to information from the startup's website, an ePlane will reduce travel time from 60 minutes by personal vehicle to just 14 minutes. The company's overarching goal is to relieve congestion in urban areas using eVTOLs.

(With inputs from PTI)