Will flying racecars ever become a reality? Airspeeder is betting on it, and they’ve got the progress to show it with their successful test flight of the world’s first electric flying racecar, the Alauda Mk3. Airspeeder is the brainchild of entrepreneur Matthew Pearson, who had a different idea for eVTOLs than urban air taxis or cargo transportation. He wanted to make high-performance flying electric vehicles and race them. So in 2019, Pearson founded two companies, Alauda Aeronautics to manufacture them and Airspeeder, an international series to race them.
The first three races, which will have the aircraft be piloted remotely, are scheduled for later this year. Airspeeder is planning a crewed flight for 2022. We featured the debut of the Mk3 flying racecar recently in February. The Mk3 is equipped with a robust collision avoidance system powered by the combination of lidar, radar, and machine. It can fly at up to 124 miles per hour, and it can reach 62 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. Each battery pack powers the aircraft to fly for 10-15 minutes, which would mean in a 45-minute race, pilots would have to make at least three pitstop landings. Alauda Aeronautics expects to produce ten vehicles this year. After conducting flight tests in Australia, the company will distribute them to teams intending to compete in the international races.
