You are going to be hearing a lot about flying cars in the coming years. There’s this one, for example. Now Adelaide-based Alauda have revealed what it claims is the world’s first fully functioning electric flying racing car. Called the Airspeeder Mk3 (Airspeeder is a next-generation motorsport series for electric flying vehicles.) it’s a full-sized remotely-operated electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL).
It has no driver or passengers. For that you will have to wait until the introduction of a manned racing craft, the Airspeeder Mk4, which is due to debut in 2022. . The unveiling of the vehicle represents the realisation of more than three years of development work to create a sport that will accelerate a new clean-air aerial mobility revolution.
A full grid of Mk3 electric flying race-craft is currently being manufactured at Airspeeder and Alauda’s technical HQ in Adelaide, South Australia. More than 10 identical racing vehicles will be produced and supplied to teams in 2021. The craft is being developed and manufactured by a team drawn from leading names in aerospace, automotive and motorsport technology including; Mclaren, Babcock Aviation, Boeing, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce and Brabham.
The Airspeeder Mk3 racing series will be announced in the coming months. These remotely-piloted races will present to the world for the first time close-quarter flying circuit racing at speeds of more than 120km/h. Airspeeder’s first races will take place in 2021. Final behind-closed-doors pre-season tests will happen in Australia before the start of an international racing calendar.
The initial Mk3 races will provide vital information on vehicle dynamics, performance, safety and powertrain technology that will inform the final development of the manned Mk4 Airspeeder vehicle. Racing will play a vital role in hastening the arrival of eVTOL technologies which promise to revolutionise urban passenger mobility, logistics and even remote medical transport.
Story originally appeared on TechDigest
