Gurugram to Connaught Place in 7 minutes by air, minus the pollution, for the price of an Uber ride?
Diwali crackers are about to add to the already dangerously polluted air in the national capital region. So how would it be if you could fly over the smog for an important meeting, in a tenth of the time it would take to go from Gurugram to Connaught Place, say, and pay about the same as what an Uber ride would cost. InterGlobe Enterprises, the company that operates India’s top airline Indigo, and Archer Aviation Inc., a Silicon Valley company that’s close to commercialising its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, said yesterday they have partnered to launch and operate an all-electric air taxi service in India. Rahul Bhatia, Group Managing Director of InterGlobe, and Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer of Archer, signed an MOU to form a proposed partnership to do this, according to a press release yesterday. Based on Archer’s all-electric aircraft, called Midnight, they aim to bring a low-noise electric air taxi service that is cost-competitive with ground transportation, according to the press release. The two companies aim to work with select in-country business partners to operate Archer’s aircraft, finance and build vertiport infrastructure, and train pilots and other personnel needed for these operations. The partnership also plans to finance the purchase of up to 200 of Archer’s Midnight aircraft for the India operations. Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed for quick back-to-back flights with as little as 10 minutes of charging in between flights, according to the company’s website. Archer is working to get certification for Midnight’s commercial readiness by late 2024 and start operations in 2025. In India, which would the second international market for the company after the UAE, the goal is for a passenger on an InterGlobe-Archer flight to be able to fly the 27-km Delhi trip from Connaught Place to Gurugram, typically taking 60 to 90 minutes by car, in approximately 7 minutes. InterGlobe Archer will also explore other use cases for the electric aircraft in India, including cargo, logistics, medical and emergency services, as well as private company and charter services. “India is one of, if not the largest opportunity for eVTOL aircraft utilization in the world, as it is home to the world’s largest population, and its largest cities face some of the greatest congestion challenges in the world,” Adam Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Archer said in the press release. Founded in 2018, Archer is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and has about $461 million in cash reserves currently. Its investors include automotive giant Stellantis, ARK Investment Management, United Airlines and Boeing. InterGlobe and Archer expect to start with operations in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru first, Nikhil Goel, Archer’s chief commercial officer said in the press release. Meanwhile, India’s hope for a made-in-India eVTOL is pinned to the success of the e200, being developed by ePlane Company in Chennai. The e200, in comparison with Midnight, is expected to be one of the world’s most compact two-seater planes – carrying one pilot and one passenger – and capable of vertical take-off and landing in an area not much bigger than what it takes to park a mid-sized sedan. The plane is designed to be light enough, at around 600 kg, and have a range of 200 km per charge, and also be able to land on the average urban concrete rooftop. ePlane’s founder and CEO, Professor Satya Chakravarthy, envisions hundreds of these air taxis flying over our cities. This involves achieving the safety levels of airplanes and cost economics of cars. And he thinks ePlane will get there. The company is also in talks with potential strategic investors, including some large automakers, to raise more money. “Where we are today is we have shown flight tests of a subscale prototype, which we are now going to commercialise for cargo applications,” Satya said.