ePlane Company bags $1bn deal to develop air ambulances

The ePlane Company, IIT-Madras based India’s leading eVTOL startup has bagged a massive $1bn deal from ICATT, India’s leading air ambulance firm. The deal has marked a major milestone in India’s urban air mobility sector marking India as one of the few countries of the world to introduce an eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft for air ambulance service.

As a part of the deal, ePlane Company will deploy 788 electric air ambulances to ICATT across every district in the country revolutionising emergency medical transport in India. The company plans to develop three prototypes, customised as per India’s topography and population requirements.

The air ambulance will accommodate a pilot, a paramedic, a patient and a stretcher along with essential life-saving equipment and have a top speed of 200 km/h with a range of 110–200 km per battery charge.

Instead of rolling out air taxis in he first phase, the ePlane Company has slightly diverted from its course and plans to start off with air ambulance." When asked about this change Satya Chakravarthy, founder, ePlane Company said, “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. It's possible for us to ramp up air ambulances a lot more organically, compared to having to go to a rush with an air taxi.”

The introduction of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) air ambulances aims to provide swift, efficient, and eco-friendly medical transportation. As the electric air ambulances run on electric energy producing zero emissions it totally aligns with India’s sustainability commitment.