Chennai-based startup The ePlane Company expects to develop a certifiable prototype of a flying electric taxi (e-taxi) by March next year as it works on ways to alleviate urban congestion.

Incubated out of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, the company also aims to initially commercialise its drones that can carry a payload of 2-6 kg in the coming months, according to a senior executive.

The ePlane Company’s founder and CEO Satya Chakravarthy said that it was 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),” Mr Chakravarthy told the PTI.

As per the startup's website, an ePlane will take only 14 minutes to reach a place that will take 60 minutes by a personal vehicle. The company's vision is to alleviate congestion in urban spaces with eVTOLs.

Besides, The ePlane company is developing drones, which are expected to be commercialsed in the coming months.

Initially, it plans to come out with a basic category and then an enhanced category of drones.