The nation’s first integrated plant dedicated to the serial production of electric aircraft.
The ePlane Company (Ubifly Technologies Pvt. Ltd.) has inaugurated a new prototyping and testing facility at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras Discovery Campus in Thaiyur.
The 60,000 sq. ft. facility is India’s first integrated plant focused on the serial production of electric aircraft. It marks an important step for India’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) sector, moving from early design ideas and small prototypes to full-scale aircraft development and testing.
The facility was inaugurated by V. Kamakoti, a Padma Shri awardee and Director of IIT Madras.
The new site will support key development activities such as tethered hover testing as the company works toward Type Certification for its aircraft. It brings together design, prototyping, integration, and subsystem testing teams in one location and will serve as the main engineering hub for passenger, relief, and cargo eVTOL aircraft.
The facility includes composite fabrication units, electric powertrain assembly, avionics testing labs, and a dedicated Ground Test Vehicle (GTV) area for subsystem validation and full-scale development.
The company’s e200X aircraft is designed for very crowded cities. Unlike many global competitors that require large landing pads, the e200X needs only an 8m x 10m landing space, making rooftop-to-rooftop operations possible.
Speaking about the facility, Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Founder and Technical Lead of The ePlane Company, said the new centre will help the company move closer to making flying as common and affordable as taking a taxi. He added that the aim is to introduce a new layer of transport for the future of urban mobility.
The prototyping centre will also help strengthen India’s deep-tech and aerospace ecosystem. It allows the company to physically integrate and test complex aerospace systems and work with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to develop regulatory standards for electric aviation in India.
Overall, the facility will support the development of energy-efficient and zero-emission aircraft designed for some of the world’s most densely populated cities.
