Three unmanned races were held during the year, as it is still too early to risk putting a pilot in the vehicle, while experts continue to collect data to optimize the development of the MK3 regarding speed, reliability and safety. 

Back in August, the innovative category unveiled official footage from the first flight, showing the audience the first-person view experience of the craft.

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Airspeeder successfully took over the skies with the official full-scale unmanned expeditions of the electric Alauda Mk3, in South Australian airspace. The prototype was manufactured by Alauda Aeronautic, the company responsible for all the technology to be used in the tournament.

These historic first flights were under the scrutiny of the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Throughout the development process, the Alauda team worked with the regulator to ensure compliance with all required procedures, while developing robust safety protocols.

Speeds Achieved

In September, Airspeeder reported that during a new test session, the driverless prototype was able to reach a speed of 93 kilometers per hour. 

At the time, the category detailed that despite the power level, the sound of the flying car was still being refined.

Two Vehicles in the Air

After the second round of testing, Airspeeder launched a pair of prototypes into the Australian skies to deliver the closest thing to a car-to-car competition. The test was successfully completed, according to the company. The unmanned prototype test flight, over a site near Adelaide, South Australia, marked the first time two units took off together.

In November, organizers put two Alauda Aeronautics teams head-to-head as an advance development series of the eVTOL Grand Prix in 2022, and a global competition league in 2023. This expedition marked, not only the first eVTOL race, but also a turning point for pre-season testing.

Aispeeder executives claim that what they advanced in 2021 offers the world a glimpse into the next generation of motorsport and mobility, and represents a significant moment for the creation of the sport, as well as being a major step forward for the development of electric flying cars.

The series plans to launch the official league in 2023 and have 10 teams from around the world competing with drivers in the Speeders. It is currently on its Series A funding round and already has investments from partners such as NVIDIA and Telstra.

Speaking at the second edition of the Green Racing Virtual Summit, Jack Withinshaw, Airspeeder’s Chief Commercial Officer noted that the series “is taking electric sports to the sky.

Matt Pearson, CEO of the category, always dreamed of flying cars with pioneering TV shows like Star Wars, Back To The Future. Now, if you look at the market right now, there will be about 500 aerial vehicle companies, but we’re doing something totally different.”

He detailed that racing will always have a special place in any revolution of the automotive sector, highlighting that Airspeeder stands out on three specific areas: performance, safety and awareness.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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This expedition marks not only the first eVTOL race, but also a turning point in the pre-season testing. Airspeeder has been working at full speed, since only a few weeks ago performed the first flight of the octocopter and a few days later a dual test to visualize how the two cars behaved in the air. Now, the company presents to the world this competition to bring the dream of seeing racing in the skies.

The Speeders are operated remotely by pilots who sit in ground-based cockpits and use virtual reality first-person view (FPV) suits to control the eVTOL aircraft.

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These development races are vital as the nascent league looks to enter its next phase, called the Airspeeder EXA Series, the first official competition for the tournament.

Like the recent endurance race, the EXA Series will also use remote piloting. However, it will consist of four teams competing in three international events in fully electric vehicle grid.

Close to Glory

“We are about to make motorsports and mobility history with the world’s first electric flying car races,” said Matthew Pearson, director of Airspeeder. 

He assured that this event offers the world a glimpse into the next generation of motorsport and mobility, and represents an important moment in the creation of the sport, as well as being a major step forward for the development of electric flying cars.

While these will be larger races compared to endurance racing, the EXA GPs will still act as a technical and driver training ground before Airspeeder begins its first races.

The series plans to launch the official league in 2023 and have ten teams from around the world compete with pilots in the Speeders. 

“Airspeeder is based on the philosophy that nothing drives technical progress faster than sports competition. Next-generation sport plays the same role as the pioneers of Formula One almost a century ago, by driving technical development and generating public acceptance of a new mobility revolution,” the new category said in a statement. 

They added that the eVTOL sector is poised to transform urban air transport, global logistics and even remote medical transport with a clean, zero-emission air transit solution.

Airspeeder is currently in its Series A funding round and already has investments from partners including NVIDIA and Telstra.

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On this occasion, it was an expedition involving two vehicles, a test that was successfully completed, according to the competition itself. The unmanned prototype test flight, over a site near Adelaide, South Australia, marks the first time that two units have taken off together.

The goal is to have human pilots inside the cockpit for a manned race series, something like an airborne Grand Prix around the world by 2022. Prior to this, several octocopters will fly remotely on augmented reality aerial tracks, as part of the ‘EXA Series’ before the end of 2021.

A Glimpse of Incredible Competition

Matthew Pearson, Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics founder, was pleased with the successful tests, and emphasizes that it is getting closer to bringing the innovative and ambitious project to life in the skies.

“These historic first flights of two racing vehicles not only show how amazing our next races will look, but lay the groundwork for the introduction of flying cars in cities around the world,” he said.

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The dual test flights offer a glimpse of what a race will look like in the upcoming EXA series, to be piloted by remote control, to be held later this year. Exact dates will be announced soon.

EXA will see drivers remotely control cars via augmented reality-enabled “sky tracks2 , and audiences will be able to watch via digital broadcasts.

Mk3 vehicle drivers will sit on a simulator that mimics the dynamics and ergonomics of the cockpit itself, while the onboard “Aviator” robot will turn its head when the driver turns his or her head.

“EXA delivers on the promise of a future depicted for the first time in science fiction,” Pearson added. He explained that the craft is powered by a Lithium Polymer battery that allows it to fly for about 15 minutes. Each ride will be 45 minutes long, which means two motorsports-style pit stops will be needed to change the battery in 20 seconds.

Back in early September of this year, Aispeeder conducted tests with the Mk3 and managed to reach speeds of 93 kilometers per hour. With this dual test successfully completed, the foundations are gradually being laid for a competition that will surprise the world with the technology applied.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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This week, the innovative category unveiled official images of the first flight made a few months ago, revealing the first-person view experience of the craft to the audience.

In June, Airspeeder first took the skies with the official full-scale unmanned expeditions of their electric Alauda Mk3, over South Australian skies. The prototype was manufactured by Alauda Aeronautic, the company responsible for all the technology to be used in the tournament.

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With this impressive demonstration, fans will now have an idea of what it will be like for the pilots of the aircraft when the sports festival scheduled for 2022 begins, but which will hold some competitions with the EXA series in 2021.

A Technology Turning Point

The Airspeeder’s arrival into the racing world surpasses all kinds of expectations, considering the appearances that have been made so far. “Nothing drives innovation like racing. The world is ready for advanced aerial mobility and we are proud to make history by introducing the world’s first racing series for flying electric cars,” said Matthew Pearson, founder of Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics.

 “Airspeeder and EXA represent the future of motorsport, and a fascinating and exhilarating showcase of the electric flying car’s potential, representing the mobility revolution that will define this generation,” added the executive.

Successful and Safe Expedition

These historic first flights have been performed at testing sites located in the South Australian deserts, under the supervision of the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). 

Throughout the development process, the Alauda team worked with the regulator to ensure compliance for all required procedures, while developing strong safety protocols.

The positive results in the execution of these flights indicate that unmanned electric flying car Grand Prix events may take place later this year, at three international locations to be announced soon.

Below are images of the first Airspeeder flight.

Redacción I Jhonattan González

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The Airspeeder Mk3 is the world’s first electric flying race car. The future we’ve long been waiting for has arrived, and the company is now ramping up production to start taking to the skies and bringing a new show to the planet.

Alauda Aeronautics, Airspeeder’s sister company, is currently building 10 examples that will compete in a kind of tests with the aim of verifying if the concept works to get the project off the ground in less than a year.

Vehicle composition

The Airspeeder is built around a carbon fiber tub and features a rotor blade in each of its corners, which the firm says gives it much greater turning capacity than a traditional helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft. Through a particularly fast corner, it will generate 5G, surpassing that of a Formula 1 racer.

Each vehicle will produce 429 hp, more than an Audi SQ7. Airspeeder also details that due to its agile 130 kilograms curb weight, the octocopter has a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than an F-15E Strike Eagle (3.5 for the flying car, compared to 1.2 for the aircraft. of combat). The ultra-light construction also means it can go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 2.8 seconds.

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The company has drawn on the expertise of some big names for electric vehicle development, including McLaren, Tom Walkinshaw Racing, and Brabham for the motorsports look. Brett Hill is leading the aerospace side of the project, drawing on his experience as a flight dynamics specialist on the Boeing 747-8 program.

The races will also take place in the same way as a Formula 1 event, with the difference that it will be contested in the air. Each prototype will also have to make regular pit stops for battery changes, which have been reduced to just 14 seconds thanks to its new quick-release battery mechanism.

Felix Pierron, Head of Design at Airspeed and Alauda, explained that his premise is that “our Speeders are, in the first instance, racing craft. In devising a design approach, I explored the classic forms of racing cars from the 1950s and 1960s.”

“This was a time when the requirement for beauty equaled the technological and aerodynamic need. As a designer, there is no better place to start. I’m excited to see something that started as a vision on paper airborne,” he commented amid the excitement for a project that is about to become a reality.

Read also: Airspeeder incorporates aerospace and motorsport talents

For his part, Matthew Pearson, founder of Airspeeder and Alauda stressed that “it is a competition that drives progress and accelerates the arrival of our racing series technology, which also transforms sophisticated aerodynamics for passenger transport, logistics and medical applications”.

The Airspeeder has had to overcome various obstacles on its way to complete the start of the series, both from a technological point of view, and all the delays that the pandemic has entailed. However, the organizers set 2022 as the starting year of the great futuristic plan.

Written by I Jhonattan González

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The Australian-born company, Alauda Aeronautic, (founded in 2016) is already working on the latest prototypes of these new electric vehicles that would take the excitement and speed of racing to the skies.

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These electric vehicles are beginning to become very popular, especially in their autonomous version, destined to form part of a fleet of shared vehicles to travel in large cities.

The founders of the Airspeeder Alauda racing series say they will deliver a mix of science fiction and video games as part of the “most exciting and progressive motorsport on the planet.”

Origins of the project

Alauda Aeronautic created in 2018 its first model, the Mk 2, a single-seater vehicle built with the ability to fly at a maximum speed of 60 km / h. The last joining this collection was the Airspeeder Mk 4, a model with eight propellers, vertical take-off and landing, eight 45 kW tilting electric motors – one in each propeller – and a combined power of 488 horsepower, characteristics that would allow it reach a maximum speed of between 130 and 200 km per hour and a flight in a period of time between 13 and 15 minutes.

The “vehicles” are equipped with the latest augmented reality technologies that help the pilot to navigate the circuit that is built from virtual reality.

Alauda will provide all the hardware to each of the teams as a turnkey solution. However, the regulation will free up the possibility of adjusting some of the vehicle’s characteristics to different strategies.

Tournament details

The competition has a system of elimination rounds in which the drivers go head-to-head. Very quick pit stops are included to change the battery, which will give each of the confrontations an incentive of excitement and showiness.

The list of teams that have already taken an interest in the project will include names already recognized in conventional four-wheeler racing. In addition, companies from other sectors have also signed up, which have been attracted by the possibilities of both technological and sports development offered by this new competition.

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Although the COVID-19 health crisis has delayed all the company’s plans, it is expected that the first competitions would be held in 2021 and the venues chosen for the first events will be the Mojave Desert, in California, and the Australian city of Coober Pedy. These locations will add greater safety as they are routes without interference.

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