AMSL Aero's electric air ambulance Vertiia to be used by CareFlight

AMSL Aero, which has established an electric vehicle testing site at Narromine, has partnered with aeromedical organisation CareFlight.

The electric air ambulance Vertiia has a cruising speed of 300 kilometres per hour. It can travel up to 250 kilometres as an electric vehicle and 800 kilometres on hydrogen power.

It would take an hour to travel from Dubbo to Sydney.

While the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft could be used across a range of industries, AMSL Aero cofounder and chief executive officer Andrew Moore said he wanted to launch where the impact would be profound and life-saving.

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The partnership with CareFlight could see the electric air ambulances in the air within a few years.

"Vertiia will instantly enable greater access to medial services for vulnerable remote, rural and regional communities, offering new models of care through rapid and low-cost connectivity," Mr Moore said.

"Unlike aeromedical planes that require a runway, Vertiia will carry patients directly from any location straight to the hospital, significantly reducing the complexity and time transporting vulnerable patients. It will also be quieter and safer than helicopters, and will eventually cost as little as a car to maintain and run, transforming aeromedical transport into a far more affordable, accessible, safer and reliable option."

The air ambulance will be piloted, but Vertiia will have autonomy systems installed for future applications.

CareFlight chief executive officer Mick Frewen said the advances in aeromedical service capability Vertiia promised would transform patient outcomes in vulnerable regional and remote communities.

"The safe and efficient new technology will enable CareFlight to provide the best clinical care for more Australians than has ever been possible, and importantly, get them that vital help much faster," he said.

"The advance would supercharge CareFlight's ability to deliver on our mission: to save lives and speed recovery and serve the community."

Medical director Toby Fogg said initial scoping and modelling showed more Australians could be reached with Vertiia.

"For example, the price point of operating Vertiia versus helicopters and fixed wing aircraft would mean we can purchase a much larger fleet aircraft, by several multiples," Dr Fogg said.

"The lower operational costs would allow us to hire more doctors, nurses and paramedics."

The AMSL Aero and CareFlight partnership is part of a $3 million Cooperative Research Centres Project grant from the federal government.