Almora man Ravi Tamta flies electric vehicle prototype

Ravi Tamta, an innovator from Almora district in Uttarakhand, has completed a test flight of his electric flying vehicle prototype, HAPIDA SKYNeX, in August 2026. The single-seat craft lifted off from an Army helipad in Almora and remained airborne for nearly a minute under the supervision of district officials, including District Magistrate Anshul Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Chandrashekhar R. Ghodke. Tamta, who has no formal engineering degree, spent 13 years developing the prototype through online learning and experimentation, founding Hapida Sky Private Limited to pursue the project.

The vehicle uses multirotor drone technology for vertical take-off and landing and runs on batteries, producing no direct exhaust emissions during flight. Tamta’s earlier inventions include a smart walking stick and firefighting equipment. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated Tamta. Further trials are planned to improve safety, capacity and performance. The vehicle is not yet ready for passenger or commercial services, technical validation and regulatory approvals from authorities such as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation will be required.