Airspeeder confirms start of production version of Mk3 flying racing car and shares its technical specifications
The production version of Airspeeder’s Mk3 — the world’s first full-scale and functional electric flying racing car, is now being created, with the company sharing its technical specifications ahead of remotely piloted races starting later this year.
The Mk3 racing prototype was unveiled at Goodwood Speed Week in 2019 and Alauda Aeronautics, sister-company to Airspeeder, is currently building ten of these vehicles at the sport’s technical headquarters in Adelaide, South Australia, with races set to take place on three continents.
Matthew Pearson, Founder, Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics, said: “Some of the very first Mercedes, Bentleys and Renaults were racing cars. The pioneers of these marques knew that in order to advance a mobility revolution, they must build their machines for racing.
“At Airspeeder, we proudly echo that philosophy. To accelerate the arrival of advanced air mobility technology we must leverage sporting competition. The Airspeeder Mk3 is the result of years of engineering, testing and development with the pure purpose of creating the ultimate performance electric flying car.”
DESIGN
In conceiving the form of the world’s first electric flying racing car, Airspeeder’s Head of Design Felix Pierron was free to create an entirely new aesthetic expression of the future of advanced air mobility.
His vision represents the marriage of an F1 car, a fighter jet and helicopter. When crewed racing begins from 2022, the pilot will sit in the cockpit in the same manner a driver is placed in a modern Formula 1 car.
The upcoming uncrewed series will do much to teach Felix and the wider engineering team about the dynamics of these craft and will serve as the perfect proving ground for what Airspeeder promises to be ‘the most progressive and entertaining form of motorsport in the world’.
Perron said: “This is pure innovation. We are not constrained by four wheels or a square frame. We are leading an entirely new aesthetic; racing flying vehicles. It will take at least a century to define an era as we are today. I am very proud to fulfil my responsibility of making machines that are as beautiful as they are purposeful.”
PERFORMANCE
At maximum power, the Mk3 remotely-piloted electric flying racing car delivers 320kW and without a pilot weighs just 130kg. It can lift a weight of more than 80kg, proving the viability of the powertrain for piloted races. Acceleration from 0–62mph takes just 2.8 seconds and the Speeder can climb to 500m.
The Mk3 has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 3.5, exceeding that of an F‑15E Strike Eagle, which has a ratio of 1.2. The rapid hairpin turning potential achieved through an octocopter format has been compared to that of a Formula 1 car, generating up to 5Gs, with the added capability to manoeuvre vertically.
Batteries have been re-designed versus the previous iteration of the Airspeeder to have 90 per cent more capacity with only a 50 per cent increase in weight. Power delivery profiles can be changed by ground-crews to respond to the different requirements of the electronically governed sky-tracks that Airspeeder pilots will follow.
For example, a layout that demands rapid maneuvers through sharp turns and ascents will require a different power delivery curve from those that demand outright straight-line speed.
Every Airspeeder includes rapid pit stops. To facilitate this, Alauda’s engineers have developed an innovative ‘slide and lock’ system for the rapid removal and replacement of batteries when on the ground.
This technology debuts on the Mk3. Intense internal competition between in-house pit crews has driven the pitstop time down to just 14 seconds, which is entirely compatible with any form of ground-based legacy motorsport. This is expected to continue to fall. For context, a Formula 1 pitstop used to take more than a minute.
SAFETY
During flights, all systems are monitored on the ground through state-of-the-art telemetry. This means groundcrew are immediately aware of issues and can take appropriate action to bring the craft to ground under control.
The octocopter layout ensures stability in the event of rotor failure or breakage, while the carbon fibre structure of the Speeder has been engineered for overall structural integrity.
The Mk3, which will be operated by a remote operator from the ground, features a suite of technologies including LiDAR and Radar collision avoidance systems that create a ‘virtual forcefield’ around the craft to ensure close, but ultimately safe racing.
DRIVEN BY DATA:
Terabytes of data from sensors within every area of the Speeder’s architecture is drawn over any testing or racing cycle. This means on-the-ground pit crews can constantly analyse and react to even the smallest variance in performance.
From a racing perspective, this dictates strategy and pilot approach and in overall technical terms, allows engineers to understand details like aerodynamic performance and even adjust propeller settings in accordance with Speeder behaviour in a multitude of conditions.
Airspeeder works with global cyber protection leader Acronis and their delivery partner Teknov8 to secure this data.