In 2022, a manned racing series will be established.
Airspeeder Mk3 is the name of the flying vehicle. It looks like a hybrid between a drone or one of those Red Bull aerobatic planes. The propellers on the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle are arranged in an octocopter arrangement – one at each corner. According to the company, the Mk3 has a 96-kilowatt hour powertrain which provides the vehicle with a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than two. The craft is 100 kg (220 lb) and can fly at speeds of 120 km/h (75 mph).
Safety tech will also be included in the Airspeeder Mk3. The Airspeeder Mk3 will be equipped with both LiDar radar collision avoidance and radar speed limiters that will allow for “ultimately safer racing.” A lot of carbon fiber was used to make the frame, fuselage and monocoque body. The “slide and lock” battery replacement and removal system allows for quick pit stops. Teams could make use of this feature to their advantage by choosing from a range of battery sizes, weights and outputs.
This year’s series will start with 10 unmanned craft being handed out to teams. However, this is just the beginning of a manned racing series that will take place in 2022 using the Mk4 vehicles. Flying car racing seems more realistic than the possibility that anyone could operate one of these vehicles. Although flying cars may seem like a pipedream for now, a high-speed racing series sounds exciting.