Roads? Where Airspeeder is going, they don’t need roads.
Founded by Matt Pearson and powered by eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) manufacturer Alauda, Airspeeder is a proposed motorsport series for electric flying vehicles. And it made history last week as its remotely piloted Alauda Mk3 full-scale vehicle took to the skies for the first time.
The historic first flights—made at undisclosed test locations in the deserts of South Australia, under the observation of the nation’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)—pave the way for remotely piloted races, expected to take place this year at three soon-to-be-revealed international locations.
“Nothing drives innovation like racing,” Pearson said in a statement. “The world is ready for advanced air mobility and we are proud to make history by introducing the world’s first racing series for flying electric cars.”
The inaugural racing series, dubbed EXA, will host “elite” pilots from aviation, motorsport, and esport backgrounds, remotely maneuvering flying cars across electronically governed, augmented reality-enabled “sky tracks.” Audiences can watch via global on-demand streams.
Seated in a simulator that mimics the dynamics and ergonomics of the Mk3 cockpit, pilots control their vehicles just as they would on land, sending commands to the flying Speeder as it navigates stratospheric courses. Meanwhile, physical robots called The Aviators, designed to represent humans, are placed within the actual cockpit, providing engineers with data on the effects of high-speed sky racing. Airspeeder hopes to begin human-piloted races next year.
“Airspeeder and EXA represent the future of motorsport and a compelling and exhilarating showcase of the potential of electric flying cars as this generation’s defining mobility revolution,” Pearson said.
Inspired by classic racing cars of the 1950s and ’60s, the Alauda Airspeeder Mk3 combines F1 car dynamics with the profile of a fighter jet and function of a helicopter. Weighing in—sans human pilot—at 130kg (286 lbs), it boasts a maximum power of 320kW (equal to an Audi SQ7 performance SUV), accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, and can fly as high as 500 meters (1,640 feet).
“EXA delivers on the promise of a future first shown in science fiction,” according to Pearson. “We are proud to introduce a sport that redefines what humans and machines can achieve together. These historic first flights are just the start and we are all excited to begin a momentous new chapter in motorsport’s rich legacy.”
