Electric Vertical Take off and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft [UPSC Notes]

A Chennai-based deep-tech startup is developing an electric-flying taxi to ferry passengers within city limits, also called, Electric Vertical Take off and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft. In this article, you can read more on Electric Vertical Take off and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft, its advantages and significance for India, from the IAS exam perspective.

Electric Vertical Take off and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft

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• The electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle is an E-Plane.
• eVTOL aircraft are electric aircraft that take off and land going straight up and down. They are also referred to as flying taxis or air taxis.
• It could occur on parking deck terraces, designated areas in shopping centres and other public areas. 
• The e6, e50, and e200 are three unmanned aerial vehicle models that the start-up (ePlane Co., owned and operated by Ubifly Technologies Pvt. Ltd) has created. 
  • The e6 can be used for long-distance monitoring in addition to delivering packages weighing up to 6 kg. 
  • The e50 drone, which can lift a weight of up to 50 kg, is the first VTOL drone made in India. 
  • The e200, an all-electric flying taxi, is the company’s flagship model and is intended to transport people and goods 10 times more quickly.

Need of eVTOL in India

• Heavy traffic and congestion on Indian roads, especially in the cities, is the main problem which needs to be addressed seriously in the near future.
• Along with this, another major focus area is passenger movement in places difficult to reach. 
• Besides this, eVTOL also aims to ease the movement of cargo in India.

eVTOL: Future of Air Mobility

• Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is an air transportation system that uses eVTOL to convey passengers and freight over short distances that would otherwise be inaccessible or underserved by aviation. 
• Electric air taxis, or eVTOLs, are expected to be commercially available by 2025 in nations like Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 
• The industry was consulted on how to develop the eVTOL ecosystem in India and agreed that the eVTOL initiative there should be driven by the business community. 

eVTOL Technology Challenges

• The certification process that the ePlane Company must go through, particularly for its passenger aircraft, is one of the main problems it is dealing with. 
• The startup must have at least five production-ready prototypes ready before the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will approve the aircraft. 
• Retaining clients will be the second-biggest difficulty after receiving regulatory approval. 

Drone Rules in India:

• The drone rules in India allow for up to 500 kg of weight of an aircraft to be classified as a drone. 
• As a result, the cargo variant (unmanned form) might technically be categorised as a drone. However, as both are VTOLs, the configuration is essentially the same for passenger electric planes and cargo drones. The plane has wings and a front tail as well as carrying passengers. 
• This version will therefore be subject to aircraft regulations, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is required to certify it.

Conclusion: Traditional mobility platforms would be woefully inadequate as our nation transitions from rural to over 50% of the population in urban centres in the near future. The next major disruption is already taking place, and it involves short-haul aviation transport. When compared to traditional helicopters, operating electric craft is less expensive, considerably quieter, and safer, and they also address sustainability with reference to the overall environmental footprint.       

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