Set to be the Formula One of the skies, with manned races set for next year

The future is here. The Airspeeder Mk3 has been unveiled and not only works but it’s actually due to be put into real-life racing action later this year.

Built by Alauda, the Airspeeder Mk3 is the world’s first flying electric race car. Due to be raced in 2021, the Mk3 will be controlled remotely for now, with courses allowing for speeds of up to 120 km/h (around 75 mph).

The Airspeeder racing series has been in the making for a while now and has only been gaining momentum since inception. Securing a partnership with Acronis just last year seemed to affirm the race series’ potential given Acronis’ “extraordinary culture of technological success in Formula One and Formula E” according to founder of Alauda and Airspeeder, Matt Pearson.

This year will serve as a test and 2022 is currently set to see Airspeeder races with the high-performance octocopters to be manned with real human pilots!

Flying Electric Race Series 2021

As exciting and exhilarating the Airspeeder races will surely be, there’s more to it than just watching flying racing cars as if in some sort of sci-fi film. The Airspeeder race series also has an overarching objective of accelerating advancements in clean-air technologies for aerial mobility.

“The unveiling of the world’s first full-sized electric flying racing car is a landmark moment in the dawn of a new mobility revolution.” Matt Pearson said.

Flying Electric Race Series 2021

It is competition that drives progress and our racing series is hastening the arrival of technology that will transform clean-air passenger transport, logistics and even advanced air mobility for medical applications. The world’s first electric flying car races will take place this year and will be the most exciting and progressive motorsport on the planet.”

Described as “Formula One of the skies”  we can hope that pioneered technologies of Airspeeder racing could trickle down to uses in things from ordinary passenger planes to new-age delivery drones.

More than 10 identical Airspeeder Mk3 race-crafts are currently being manufactured which will then be supplied to the racing teams.

Flying Electric Race Series 2021

Although brand new in the world of Motorsport, Airspeeder racing is shaping up to be entertaining at the least. The Mk3 race-craft has seen a power increase of 95% from the Mk2 and weight just 100kg unmanned. They have been designed for excellent manoeuvrability and batteries can be changed pit-stop-style thanks to quick-release mechanisms. 

Let us know if you’re excited about the potential of Airspeeder races, in the comments below!

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