‘Indian air taxis to take wings by 2026’

Air taxis are set to operate in India by 2026, supported by a domestic supply chain that will make drones cheaper than those from China. This ambitious vision comes from Satyanarayan Chakravarthy, a professor of Aerospace Engineering and co-founder of the IIT Madras-incubated startup, e-Plane.

Chakravarthy believes the crafts developed by his firm can solve mobility challenges not only in India but also globally. His message is clear: what works for India can work for the world.

“We have reached a stage where the Indian middle class is substantial and enjoys purchasing power parity comparable to societies in the US and Europe. What we develop for our middle class should function just as effectively elsewhere. Nothing we create here is inferior to global standards – we can compete with anyone,” he said while attending Huddle Global 2024.

The professor, who co-founded renowned Indian spacetech startups like Agnikul and GalaxEye, launched the e-Plane startup in 2019. The company is now valued at 46 million US dollars after raising 14 million US dollars in a Series B funding round co-led by Speciale Invest and Singapore’s Antares Ventures.

The firm plans to introduce its drones – capable of vertical take-off and landing and designed to carry two passengers – into commercial use by the second half of 2026.

Chakravarthy dismisses scepticism surrounding such ambitious predictions, often tied to perceptions of India’s lagging manufacturing sector. He asserts that India’s manufacturing potential is on par with global standards, making the country capable of competing with China in international markets.

“I’ll just give you a sense of it, though I don’t know if we can translate this across the board. We tried replicating a propeller bought from China, for which we had to spend 100,000 rupees to import. But we were able to make it here for less than 2,000 rupees.”

But he notes that many people in India still feel uneasy when they hear about Chinese firms entering the market. “It’s possible to overcome the Chinese if we apply ourselves. They’re human, just like we are.”

“It’s only a matter of time before we develop a well-oiled supply chain. But each of us in different sectors must focus on our specific areas and address every challenge head-on. Then, we can become more cost-effective than our rivals.”

Domestic Suppliers

He also thinks there won’t be much difficulty in establishing a component supply chain for the drone sector in India. ePlane says they manufacture all the aircraft parts themselves.

“Right now, we’re sourcing motors from outside, but within the next year, we should start making our own motors. Or we may partner with someone in India to co-develop them. There are a lot of avionics that are currently imported, but there are local sources that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has identified, and we can tap into them. This won’t happen immediately, but we are confident of achieving it within the next 2 to 3 years,” says Chakravarthy.

He looks to the path ISRO pioneers have paved as a model. “ISRO is a shining example that came out of nowhere but was able to achieve great things. Of course, they did it slowly, but they did it in a cost-effective manner. We have to give them credit for the toil and sweat. They showed us it’s possible, even then, and now we’re in a much better position.”

Passenger Drones

The professor says that e-Plane’s first drone, EkHans, was developed by his startup, with its variants undergoing extensive flight testing, logging 7,500 kilometres internally. It then graduated into its E series drones, which can carry larger payloads.

The passenger version, E200X, is designed to carry up to 300 kg and is expected to be ready for commercial use by 2026.

The E200X features both fixed wings and rotary propellers, allowing it to take off vertically and provide better aerodynamics during flight. With wings measuring just 8 metres, it can also land and take off from smaller bases.

This capability is expected to reduce commuting time by up to 85 percent for residents in Indian cities. Additionally, the craft can complete 60 trips on a single charge, making the fare for users comparable to their usual Uber fare, Chakravarthy told TechCrunch recently.

“That’s the kind of capability we’re talking about. The unique combination of features in our product is protected by intellectual property, giving us confidence against any competition,” Chakravarthy added.

Chinese Handicap

China has been leading the global drone manufacturing scene and has already licensed drone maker EHang to operate as a passenger-carrying service in that country. The company is also looking to expand into foreign markets and recently conducted a demo flight in Bangkok. Chinese startup AutoFlight meanwhile conducted its first flight in Japan, part of its larger goal to conduct demonstration flights during the 2025 World Expo in Osaka.

“They have multicopter drones that are limited to very short trips with significant downtime for charging in between. Their use cases are mostly restricted to activities like sightseeing at tourist attractions and similar applications. The wings on their crafts are also too broad, making it difficult for them to land in smaller spaces,” says Chakravarthy.

“It’s relatively easy to develop certain configurations, but you have to design specific configurations that are truly usable. There are many constraints to consider regarding the use case you’re trying to address. We believe we stand out in this respect compared to the rest of the world.”

Regulatory Hurdles

The slow pace of changing regulations also doesn’t concern Chakravarthy as he views it as a universal issue, not something unique to India alone. Technology often outpaces government regulations globally, he says.

“If you ask an average American plane maker or a drone maker, they will just cry over your shoulders.”

However, Chakravarthy believes the Indian government has the ability to surprise. “You go in with no expectations or very low expectations, and they’ll be ahead of you, turning around to ask, ‘Why aren’t you keeping pace with us?’ So while we do face this issue, it’s a good problem to have.”

He says things are getting organised, and as of now, the only regulation needed is pilot training. “Otherwise, pretty much everything else is solved. What they’re aiming to do is integrate this current pilot training system into the new framework.”

Chakravarthy believes air mobility will be beneficial not only in cities facing severe congestion like Bangalore or Hyderabad but also in places like Kerala, where the terrain does not allow for level roads over long distances.

“Asian cities facing congestion, like Manila and Jakarta, can also benefit from the products developed in India. So, that’s why I’m developing this tagline: ‘What is good for India is good for the rest of the world’.”

Huddle Global needs a new app

Organising a large event like Huddle Global 2024 is back-breaking work – sending emails, making phone calls, arranging venues, booking caterers ... the list goes on. Even getting responses to emails and calls takes forever, as anyone at Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) can attest. Despite all this – emails sent well in advance, roadshows held, and personal calls made – the turnout of Kerala IT firm CEOs was underwhelming, even from the Trivandrum Technopark. Leaders of other tech zones across the state were also notably absent, even though many startups remain unaware of these facilities.

Two people who understand such challenges are California-based sisters Anna Sun and Anny Yan. They’ve launched an AI tool to ease the burdens of large-scale event organisers. Their platform, Nowadays, automates tasks like emailing venues and caterers to solicit bids and even follows up with phone calls for unanswered queries. It compiles the responses and presents them in an organised format, enabling event planners to make decisions and sign contracts efficiently. Such a tool will be a boon for organisers like KSUM. But we still need another tool to nudge our IT CEOs into action.

Quick delivery is the new fashion

India’s quick delivery market is expanding rapidly. What began with groceries and vegetables from companies like Blinkit and Zepto has now widened significantly. Myntra has entered the space, promising to deliver fashion, beauty, and lifestyle products within 30 minutes. According to Indian Startup News, the e-commerce giant is tapping into the growing demand for rapid delivery among Gen Z and millennial consumers. Other major players, including Adidas, Decathlon, and Fabindia, have already joined the quick-commerce trend. Reports suggest Amazon India may be next in line. The quick-commerce industry in India is projected to reach 42 billion US dollars by 2030, according to Morgan Stanley.

Now rats fall for AI fakes

Just as deepfakes and AI-generated content can deceive humans, Chinese researchers have developed an AI-trained robot that has mastered the art of rat deception. While the mechanical rodent doesn’t closely resemble a real one, it successfully fooled smart lab rats. Not only was the robot accepted by the group, but the rats also responded appropriately to its behaviour – cowering in fear when it acted aggressively and wrestling or nestling with it during calmer moments, just as they would with real cage mates, says TechCrunch. With AI and robotics advancing at breakneck speed, who’s to say we humans won’t become the lab rats someday?

Tape man to the rescue

This week’s winner of the Man vs Machine contest is a shopkeeper from Khon Kaen province, Thailand. A monk visiting the shop struggled to use his welfare card for payment because the facial recognition system couldn’t identify him – understandably so, as monks shave their heads and even their eyebrows during monkhood. Enter the ingenious shopkeeper. Armed with nothing but black duct tape, he stuck a strip above the monk’s eyes, and voila – the system recognised the face.  Humans 1: Machines 0