ePlane Co. becomes first Indian e-aircraft maker to bag regulator approval

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker The ePlane Company said it has received design organisation approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). ePlane thus becomes the first Indian electric aircraft maker to obtain this approval, making the concept of electric air taxis to ferry passengers and cargo a reality by 2024.

The DOA is the first step in the aircraft certification process, and it paves the way for ePlane to begin commercial production of its e200 eVTOL aircraft. The e200 taxi is a piloted vehicle that takes off like a drone and flies like a plane, and is a two-seater aircraft that is designed to operate in urban spaces. With a travel range of 200 km, it can make multiple stops on a single charge.

Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, founder and CEO, The ePlane Company, said with this approval, they are now authorised to complete the designs of e200 and validates the design process. "Next comes Type certification, and then we will go through various levels of design reviews, prototyping and flight tests before the production approvals stage," he says. "Optimistically speaking, all this can happen by the end of the year," he says.

ePlane recently also successfully conducted flight tests of its product e50, a drone with eVTOL capabilities. The DOA for e200 signifies ePlane's capabilities to meet stringent standards set by the ministry of civil aviation, allowing the company's flying electric taxis to take to the skies.

-B