Bengaluru: Bengaluru-based startup Bumble Bee Flights has raised Rs 300 crore to set up an air taxi assembly plant in Odisha. The first prototype of the air taxi to transport humans is scheduled to be launched in April 2023, while production of the air taxis will commence in 2024.
Bumble Bee Flights, has raised Rs 300 crore ($37 million) in investment from the UK-based technology multinational SRAM & MRAM Technologies and Resources Limited. The company received the investment during the recently-concluded Make In Odisha Conclave 2022 and will put Odisha on the global air mobility solution map.
Bumble Bee Flights, which was founded in early 2022 by serial entrepreneur and Air Mobility Solutions expert Arjun Das, will manufacture air taxis under the brand Bee Flights. These air taxis would operate on solar-charged swappable batteries. In comparison to helicopters that weigh 1,000 kg or more, the Bumble Bee air taxi (Bee1) would weigh around 300 kg.
The air taxis would have the capacity to carry one person and a suitcase. Unlike helicopters, which need specific helipads, Bee1 air taxis will be able to land on the rooftops of apartments with adequate space. They can fly for 20 minutes and cover a distance of 20 kilometers.
In a statement, Das said Bumble Bee Flights will design and manufacture these air taxis and partner with operators globally to service, support, and run the operations. The company’s first step would be to obtain certification for its operations in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore.
Das said, “eVTOL, or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, are the future of urban mobility and transport. Bumble Bee air taxis are autonomous and would ease the already burdened urban road infrastructure while working towards reducing carbon footprints.”
According to Das, Bee1 is like the Boeing or Airbus for Air Mobility Solutions. He added that Bee1 will be the first air taxi from India that will be certified in multiple countries. Bee1 is intended for multiple purposes, including human transportation, air ambulance, air taxi, as well as in the logistics and supply chain sectors.
By 2035, air taxis are expected to be a common sight in most parts of the world, with these flying vehicles managing and controlling about 10% of all transportation, saving millions of driving hours and drastically reducing pollution. Das said that booking an air taxi would be as easy as booking a taxi from Ola or Uber.
According to a Morgan Stanley report, the global urban air mobility market is projected to grow 30 per cent annually between 2021 and 2040, reaching $1.5 trillion by 2040.
