New Delhi: The Technology Development Board (TDB), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has approved ₹285 crore in financial support to Chennai-based Ubifly Technologies Private Limited for developing its indigenous ePlane Advanced Air Mobility Solution.
The support has been approved under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund, which has an overall corpus of ₹1 lakh crore. The project has a total approved cost of ₹570 crore, with TDB’s contribution to be provided through Optionally Convertible Debentures (OCD).
From TRL-6 to TRL-9
The project aims to take Ubifly’s ePlane technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to TRL 9.
According to the PIB release, this phase will involve further technology maturation, testing, validation and scale-up towards an operationally demonstrated system.
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The project has been categorised under Deep Technology, with Space Technologies listed as its sub-sector.
Three-Seater ePlane With 110-Km Targeted Range
The aircraft, designated e200X, is being developed as a three-seater advanced air mobility aircraft configured for one pilot and two passengers.
According to the project details, the e200X has:
- A targeted range of 110 km
- An ideal speed of 160 kmph
- Zero-emission operation
- Vertical rotors and forward propellers
- Proprietary flight-control algorithms
- Power-distribution controllers
- Battery-pack modules with integrated cooling systems
Ubifly has also designed the aircraft’s complete airframe, including the fuselage, wings and booms, in-house.
Designed for Vertical and Conventional Landing
The e200X’s landing gear has been designed to support both conventional and vertical landing.
The aircraft’s compact architecture is intended to allow operations from relatively small spaces and facilitate multiple trips on a single battery charge.
TDB on Private-Sector Deep-Tech Development
TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said the RDI Fund is aimed at enabling greater private-sector participation in the development of high-impact technologies and helping innovations move closer to deployment.
He said, “The RDI Fund represents a significant shift towards enabling private-sector participation in the development of high-impact technologies and taking promising innovations closer to deployment.”
Pathak added that TDB’s support to Ubifly reflects the government’s focus on strengthening indigenous capabilities in deep technologies and creating pathways for Indian technologies to move from advanced development to commercialisation.
He also said, “The ePlane project brings together advanced electric propulsion, aerospace engineering and intelligent systems.”
Ubifly on Technology Maturation
A representative of Ubifly Technologies said the TDB support would assist the company’s continued development and validation of its ePlane technology.
The representative said, “Taking the e200X from TRL-6 towards TRL-9 requires sustained investment in engineering, testing and technology maturation.”
The company also said the support would strengthen its work on indigenous advanced air mobility technology in India.
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