However, the gap is getting shorter and shorter with the innovations presented by companies focused on the future, since a few days ago a new breakthrough was registered for aerial electric vehicles.

AutoFlight’s eVTOL broke the record for the world’s longest flight, with a view to achieving certification to carry four passengers by 2025, although massification may take longer.

Read also:Hofer Powetrain Launches Technology to Recharge Batteries to 80% in Less than 90 Seconds

High-end

The Prosperity I model achieved the feat due to its high capabilities. It has a range of more than 150 miles (240 kilometers). The aircraft can reach a top speed of more than 130 mph and carry a payload of more than 900 pounds.

During the recent record flight, the Prosperity I covered a distance of 155.74 miles (250 km) in 1 hour and 38 minutes.

AutoFlight’s record-breaking flight is evidence of the rapid advances being made in the eVTOL industry. The company’s focus on developing efficient electric powertrains and autonomous flight systems has enabled it to rapidly reach significant milestones.

Turning Point

“This flight is both a major milestone of celebration and a testament to the team’s incredible effort and progress in testing and progressively pushing the performance limits of the aircraft,” Autoflight President Omer Bar-Yohay said in a press release.

He assured that it is a remarkable achievement that demonstrates the vehicle’s capability, which fills them with great motivation to continue working, with the goal of achieving safety certification in 2025.

As urban air mobility becomes increasingly important, eVTOL aircraft are expected to play a significant role in shaping the future of transportation.

With its autonomy and speed, the Prosperity I could be a game-changer for the industry and offer a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional modes of transportation.

The post Autoflight Sets Flight Record for an eVTOL appeared first on Green Racing News.

In Europe and Asia these cars are already a reality and now Latin America joins the interesting projects coming from these innovations. Unlike how they have been traditionally presented in movies, these means of transportation are similar to helicopters, but much less harmful to the environment.

Specifically in Chile, one of the pioneer countries in electromobility in the region, through the local company Ecocopter could soon enjoy this technology.

The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus to collaborate in the launching of urban air mobility (UAM) in Latin America. This is the first Chilean company to venture into this new aviation segment that considers the use of vertical take-off and landing electric aircraft as air cabs.

According to Airbus and information published byAero-Navesthe agreement with Ecocopter is an essential step towards the joint creation of a functional urban air transport ecosystem in the continent.

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Through this document, both companies commit to explore and define launch scenarios for UAM operations in Chile, Ecuador and Peru. The memorandum also takes advantage of Ecocopter‘s close relationship with Airbus, reaffirmed in March 2022 with the purchase of new helicopters to expand the fleet.

Agreement Focus

As detailed by Aero-Naves, the aim of the partnership is to develop joint activities to identify the first possible uses of eVTOLs in pilot cities. In that sense, Ecocopter CEO Marcelo Rajchman highlighted that this step contributes to the experience of more than 20 years of experience operating helicopters and five years with drones.

“Our ambition is to be a key player in the UAM ecosystem, and the projects we are going to develop with Airbus will bring us closer to this goal,” added the executive.

For his part, the person in charge of Alliances and Implementation Strategies for UAM at Airbus, Balkiz Sarihan expressed his satisfaction with extending the agreement with Ecocopter.

“Together we are taking concrete steps in co-creating the UAM ecosystem and our decarbonization roadmap. This partnership leverages Airbus’ expertise in innovative vertical flight technologies, and Ecocopter‘s extensive operational track record and innovative culture,” he explained.

Currently, the helicopter company operates 16 H125s, two H135s and three H145s. Highlighting its relationship with Airbus, he notes that its fleet is characterized by its great versatility and performance in missions ranging from offshore transport, mining support, medical evacuation, firefighting and almost the full range of aerial work.

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The competition consists of bringing together the best pilots to operate drones remotely, but with virtual reality glasses that immerse them deeply into the flight experience, by simulating being inside the eVTOL, and aiming to complete a challenging race as fast as possible.

The division has managed to reach several parts of the world, and when not, it stands out through the DRL Sim, a competition simulator providing realistic sensations to the league’s pilots. The drones are capable of reaching up to 90 miles per hour, requiring great driving skills to avoid crashing them on demanding circuits.

DRL has managed to reach into the homes of many people thanks to broadcast via NBC, NBCSN, Twitter, Fox Sports, Sky Sports, ProSieben and Weibo. No doubt, the fusion between technology, speed and sport has made a great impact on motorsports society, and even more so with an electrified and sustainable division.

Related content: Drone Racing League has Chris Bosh as Dean of the DRL Academy

Active since 2016, DRL hands out more up to $1 million in prizes. During the 2020 season, it had 12 pilots competing across 16 different races, with one more complicated than the other, segmented by levels, and managing to reach platforms such as Xbox and Steam.

Drones

DRL Racer 4

The custom design offers a fast torque curve and over 1,850 G-force. Its 21 V, 2,200 mAh battery offers long flight times without stalling, and the polycarbonate propellers are virtually unbreakable.

The DRL RacerX

It has an average speed of 162.5 miles per hour (265.87 kilometers per hour). It was hand-built in New York and 3D printed using carbon fiber, copper wire and fasteners, and can generate up to 43,000 revolutions per minute.

5G Powered Racing Drone

The first Drone of the league was born in partnership with T-Mobile to deliver more than 2,400 G of thrust and kick-start the eVTOL category.

Drone Racing League Drivers

The competition is on a level playing field for all participants, meaning everyone will have identical hardware (240 Hz monitor, custom controller and headset, desktop computer, laptop).

Drone Racing League: Rules

All pilots initially undergo a qualifying round one day before the official race, which is streamed live. Each pilot will have 30 minutes to learn, practice and record their drone’s course, as well as compete to execute an optimal time that places them among the top three for direct advancement to The Finals.

The remaining seven pilots will have to fight in the semifinals. This instance will be divided into two groups. Group 1 will be made up of the drivers who finished from sixth to tenth position and will compete over three regular rounds and one Sudden Death. The top three will advance to Group 2 where they will face those who placed fourth and fifth during the qualifying round.

Now, Group 2 has five more pilots, of which three will access the Finals under the same format as Group 1 (three regular rounds and one Sudden Death). At the Finals, the six drivers who qualified will battle through five regular rounds, leaving a ticket to the Golden Heat for the winners of each series (a single driver can win more than one round, reducing the number of participants at the Golden Heat).

The Golden Heat is the final round, so whoever wins here will be the champion of the race.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Drone Racing League: All You Need to Know About the Series appeared first on Green Racing News.

Emily Duggan, Fabio Tischler and Zephatali Walsh are the lucky ones to open the curtain on a new era of sustainable mobility at a sporting level. An extensive environment such as motorsport and drone racing has been the preferred place to find the initial trio of protagonists, who were chosen after an exhaustive process that gathered more than 1,500 candidates.

In addition to their undisputed talent, the human factor, personality and above all, the way they work as a team, have stood out from the rest, to become the first official pilots of Airspeeder, who will work with the full support of Telstra Purple and AWS.

Related content: Airspeeder’s Achievements in 2021: Successful Tests Bring Futuristic Project Ever Closer

Emily Duggan

Quite a pilot on the rise at Australian racing as one of the leading lights. Starting out in the NSW Excel Racing Series to become the first woman to race the Australian V8 Touring Car Series. During her career, she registered 12 wins, 33 podiums and two pole positions, being ready for the new challenge of the eVTOLs.

“At heart, I am a racer. I’m joining Airspeeder to push the boundaries of motorsport and make history as the first winner of a flying electric car race in the world.”

Fabio Tischler

Highly recognized FPV drone pilot who has worked with major brands such as Red Bull, Toyota and GoPro. Born and raised in Germany, he decided to leave his old life behind to become a professional drone pilot. Undoubtedly, a big change between finance and eVTOL marked the path that years later led him to Airspeeder’s doorstep.

“I’m a gut racer and my motto is ‘stop thinking and start flying’. Joining Airspeeder gives me the opportunity to make some history on the first ever Flying Car Grand Prix.”

Zephatali Walsh

First as a surfer, then as a more world-renowned multi-blade pilot, and now with control of an eVTOL in his hands. Since 2020, he has been competing with Raiden Racing in the Drone Racing League, but in addition, he also has an impressive academic side as an environmental science student, something that goes along with the sustainable frontline of the electrified flying vehicle category.

“Racing has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible, both for humans and their creations. I’m excited to help shape a future of personal transportation via flying cars for my son’s generation.”

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Airspeeder: Meet the First Three Official Pilots! appeared first on Green Racing News.

The objectives from both parties are to integrate, develop and advance the deployment of futuristic mechanics and means of transportation, but at the same time be fully integrated with the overall public transportation and zero-emission system in Neom. The project will include sightseeing trips, emergency response and logistical tours.

“…Through this joint venture with Volocopter, we are demonstrating to the world that Neom is an ideal region to implement urban air mobility quickly and create an integrated eVTOL ecosystem. The city is on a mission to become a global living laboratory for tomorrow’s mobility, and we are excited to see what the future holds as we grow,” said Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of Neom.

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Initially, the agreement between Volocopter and Neom includes an order for 10 VoloCity passenger logistics aircraft and five VoloDrone aircraft. It is worth noting the importance of these aerial vehicles for the society of the future, as their vertical take-off and landing system will allow the transport of people or goods in confined spaces, and will also be of great help in emergency situations that require a descent in complicated areas.

“The partnership with Neom and the new joint venture we are creating together will be an exciting journey. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be an essential part of designing and operating an entirely new urban aerial mobility ecosystem from the ground up without the constraints of legacy infrastructure or regulation, and as pioneers in the industry, our company is proud to be the trusted partner,” said Christian Bauer, Chief Commercial Officer of Volocopter.

About Volocopter

Volocopter brings urban air mobility (UAM) to megacities around the world. Their goal is to improve people’s quality of life by offering a new mode of transportation. To do so, they have created sustainable and scalable ecosystems with partners in infrastructure and operations.  Founded in 2011, the company employs more than 500 people in Germany and Singapore, has successfully completed more than 1,000 public and private test flights and has raised €322 million in capital from investors.

About Neom

NEOM is a region in northwestern Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea that is being built from the ground up as a living laboratory, a place where entrepreneurship will set the course for this New Future. It will be a destination and home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model of exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Volocopter will Make Neom the First City with eVTOL Air Mobility Services appeared first on Green Racing News.

The production delves into the world of the competition created to race in the skies, firstly in the ‘drone style’, that is, without a pilot present at the eVTOL. However, the electrified division’s creators assure that the goal is to get drivers on board as they develop, optimize and ensure the necessary safety conditions to do so.

The initial chapter is five minutes long, where Matt Pearson, CEO of Airspeeder, Brett Hill, Project Manager and Felix Pierron, Head of Design, talk about and demonstrate the importance of this category towards the development of motorsports and aerial motoring.

Related content | Getting closer: Airspeeder performed first endurance test between teams

Airspeeder’s mission, as its developers define it, is to accelerate the technological growth of eVTOLs (vertical take-off and landing vehicles) through sports competitions. The aerial vehicles in this competition are developed in Adelaide, Australia, by a group of engineers drawn from various divisions: cars, aviation, drones and electric vehicles.

About Airspeeder

Airspeeder’s vision will deliver the most exciting and future-focused motorsport on the planet. After an inaugural unmanned season, elite pilots will take the skies to race propeller to propeller while navigating electronically governed circuits above some of the world’s most compelling landscapes. These manned multi-rotor electric vehicles will define a new era for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

The first Airspeeder unmanned aerial race is scheduled for 2021, and will feature a full grid of multi-rotor racing craft, the Airspeeder Mk3. Top drone racing pilots will use the latest RPAS (remotely piloted aircraft systems) in aerial battles around the world.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Airspeeder Premieres ‘Mini-Series’ on YouTube appeared first on Green Racing News.

The game has the ability to offer an immersive and realistic experience crafted to provide a unique experience to racing fans, as well as attract new fans through racing, electric devices and cutting-edge technology.

Drone Racing Arcade offers a race against the clock through challenging tracks with obstacles illuminated by neon lights. In addition, there are gates, coins and power-ups to help you score more points. The game’s maneuverability proves simple to execute according to the game’s developers.

“Drone racing is one of the fastest growing action sports of our era, so it’s exciting to announce that Drone Racing League is partnering with Skillz for expansion into competitive mobile gaming,” said Andrew Paradise, CEO and founder of Skillz.

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“Pushing the boundaries of innovation, competition and fun, we are thrilled to welcome players to the world of drone racing, giving the millions of DRL fans a new reason for thrill-seeking through high-flying mobile tournaments powered by Skillz,” Paradise finished.

About the Drone Racing League

The Drone Racing League (DRL) is the world’s premier professional drone racing property. Drone pilots from around the world fly in the league and millions of fans watch them race on NBC, NBCSN and Twitter. With innovative technology and immersive, high-speed racing through virtual and live events, DRL is creating a new era of sports, combining both e-sports and real-life competition.

About Skillz Inc.

Skillz is a mobile gaming platform that connects players in fair, fun and meaningful competition. The platform helps developers build multi-million dollar franchises after enabling social competition in their video games. Leveraging its patented technology, the company organizes billions of casual e-sports tournaments for millions of mobile gamers worldwide and distributes millions in prize money each month.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Everyone can be a DRL Pilot with Drone Racing Arcade appeared first on Green Racing News.

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.

The post Closer and closer: Airspeeder performed first endurance test between teams appeared first on Green Racing News.

Jack Withinshaw, Commercial Director of Airspeeder, revealed several interesting aspects about the 100% electric category of flying vehicles. Joined by Juan Moran, Global Customer Director at DHL, there was a lively conversation about what future eVTOL racing has in store.

“Airspeeder is taking electric sports to the sky. Matt Pearson, CEO of the category, always dreamed of flying cars with TV shows as pioneers: Star War, 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.”

Related content: 5 Things You Should Know About Airspeeder

Withinshaw detailed that racing will always have a special place on any automotive revolution, noting that Airspeeder excels at three specific áreas: performance, safety and awareness.

Performance: “When you’re able to approach extreme configurations, you’re going to get great results, just like you see in traditional motorsports.

Safety: “When you have these vehicles reaching incredible paces, we want to be able to push the limits but in a safe way. It’s about figuring out how this whole new wave of technologies can contribute to that.”

Awareness: “We believe that one day we’re going to have flying cars around cities over the next 10 years. However, before that happens, we want people to fall in love with it, so we think racing is a great way to do that. Showcasing the technology so that people can connect. It’s about earning their trust.”

Airspeeder Features

“We can keep the Airspeeder vehicles in the air for 15 to 20 minutes. We’ll even have an electric pit stop facility to change the battery and then fly them again.” On top of that, the MK3 can reach 93 kilometers per hour, having a thrust-to-weight ratio of 3.5 that exceeds an F-15E Strike Eagle, one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets.

The category will officially debut in 2021 with unmanned races to pave the way regarding safety to finally upload pilots to the eVTOLs by 2022, so the action in the air will be very similar to what can be seen on the tarmac of any motorsport category.

Writen by | Ronald Ortega

The post Commercial Director of Airspeeder: “We Have Three Fundamental Principles – Performance, Safety and Awareness” appeared first on Green Racing News.

Specifically, it is a fifth-generation eVTOL, and it will have a main objective of attending customer orders, since its vertical clearance and landing technology will allow it to reach crowded places, like urban areas and business complexes. The company states that this aircraft can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

The autonomy also indicates a range of 300 kilometers, allowing it to serve for an entire day without needing to recharge its battery. However, as its objective is to move around residential areas, one of Lilium’s goals was based on considerably reducing the noise emitted when flying.

The European company is convinced to carry out an acoustic treatment to reduce the audible emissions that may bother people who live in areas where landfills are located.

Related content: eVTOL and eSTOL Aircraft: What are They? Advantages and Differences

The propulsion system of this aircraft is distributed in 36 small fans embedded in tilting ducts, discarding the large rotors (proposal generally used in eVTOLs). This change provides a greater advantage when flying horizontally. However, the negative detail lies in the loss of performance when taking off and landing.

About Lilium Air Mobility

This company has brought together some of the brightest minds in aerospace: an ambitious team of diverse backgrounds and talents. Backed by their investors and working in partnership with governments, regulators and specialist suppliers, they have the drive and expertise to make electric flight a reality.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post The Sound of an eVTOL Electric Aircraft appeared first on Green Racing News.