New Delhi18 minutes agoAuthor: Vikram Ahirwar
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‘Zero’ will compete with Maruti Suzuki’s flying car Sky Drive.
Aerospace startup Sarala Aviation has revealed its prototype air taxi ‘Zero’ at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo. This taxi can fly up to a distance of 160 kilometers at a time, but it will be used for short trips of 20-30 km.
The company said that it will be able to fly at a speed of up to 250 km per hour and will be ready for a trip in just 20 minutes of charging. Zero flying taxis are expected to significantly reduce travel time in congested areas. 7 people including the pilot will be able to sit in it.
One trip fare equivalent to premium taxi service
Company co-founder Shivam Chauhan told Dainik Bhaskar that he will start flying taxi service from Bengaluru by 2028. After this, there are plans to expand its air taxi service in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Noida and Pune.
There is a plan to keep the price of zero to one trip at par with the premium taxi service of Ola-Uber. Apart from passenger transport, he also announced the launch of Free Air Ambulance Service to meet emergency medical needs in urban areas. Watch Dainik Bhaskar’s full conversation with co-founder Shivam Chauhan in the video…
Named after India’s first female pilot Sarla Thukral
The Bengaluru-based platform has named it after India’s first female pilot Sarala Thukral. It was founded in October 2023 by Adrian Schmidt, Rakesh Gaonkar and Shivam Chauhan. Sarala Aviation has designed Zero for air taxi service. It can carry a maximum load of 680 kg.
Maruti Suzuki also showed flying car, will bring it by 2025
Maruti Suzuki has also presented the prototype model of its flying car at the India Global Mobility Expo. The brand is making this flying electric car in collaboration with its parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC). The company has partnered with Japanese startup Skydrive for this.
It can be used as electric flying taxi service in urban areas. The company is considering its manufacturing in India. Kento Ogura, Assistant Manager of the company’s Global Automobile Planning Department, had recently told in an event that if we come here under Make in India, then flying cars will definitely be affordable here.
With 12 units of motors and rotors, it is expected to be launched at the 2025 Osaka Expo in Japan. Initially the three-passenger edition will have a range of 15 kilometres. After this, it is likely to double to 30 kilometers by 2029 and then to 40 kilometers by 2031.
2 more companies are working on air taxi in India…
1. Mahindra will bring India’s first air taxi next year
Anand Mahindra, chairman of automobile company Mahindra Group, recently confirmed in a post on X that India will get its first electric air taxi by next year. He has also shared photos of a prototype model. This electric air taxi will be developed in ePlane, an initiative company of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
Air taxi will be like a two-seater aircraft. This will provide air travel facilities to the public in future. Its maximum range will be 200 km. It will fly at an average speed of 200 km per hour with a cruising ability of 160 km per hour.
2. Asia’s first hybrid flying car, will be able to fly even from the roof of the house
Chennai-based Vinata Aeromobility company in India is making hybrid flying cars. The company says that it will be able to fly even from the roof of the house without any runway. The company had shown the car model to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for the first time.
The hybrid flying car can fly for 60 minutes at a top speed of 120 kmph. It can fly up to 3,000 feet above ground level. The weight of the two seater car is 1100 kg, which can take off with a maximum weight of 1300 kg. The company claims that its range is up to 100 kilometers.
