It's the next step before private ownership.
Alauda Aeronautics has unveiled its Airspeeder Mk4, the first crewed version of the company's flying race car. A technological marvel, the machine is the world's fastest electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with an incredible top speed of 225 mph.
We've covered this company in the past when it released its Mk3 flying car. That one was unmanned, though it made headlines as it competed in two Airspeed demonstration races in South Australia in 2022. The goal is for the Mk4 to compete in its first race in 2024, a major sports milestone similar to the first Formula One race nearly 75 years ago.
The Airspeeder is designed and built in Adelaide, South Australia using the most advanced technology available. As it's meant as a racecar first and foremost, it's designed for low-altitude flight and high speeds more than anything else, and this means its unique propulsion and maneuvering systems are revolutionary.
With 1,340 horsepower on tap, the Mk4's Thunderstrike Hydrogen Turbogenerator provides power to the batteries and motors thanks to, you guessed it, hydrogen fuel. The company says this will help to revolutionize the eVTOL industry and bring it into the H2eVTOL era providing reliable and sustainable power with relatively minuscule environmental effects compared to regular aircraft.
Not to mention insane acceleration; that 225 mph top speed comes in just 30 seconds from a dead stop. Not Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport numbers, but still crazy for a manned aircraft.
Along with this, the Mk4 will also utilize an AI flight controller in the cockpit that will individually adjust four rotor pairs mounted on lightweight 3D-printed gimbals. This will give the aircraft unheard-of agility in the air closer to that of a Formula One car than a multicopter, at least according to the company.
Flights are planned for this upcoming spring to test the powertrain and chassis more, and from there they will start with the first human test flights. The goal is to race in 2024, but a lot can change between now and then. It's one thing to work quickly to get an unmanned aircraft ready to race, but when you have a human life on the line you don't have any room for error.
Just like with most prominent racing series, the goal of the Airspeeder series isn't really racing, but to make money. The company not only wants to raise awareness for its technology but also make it more accessible than ever before. In time, versions of these aircraft will become available to the general public for taxi purposes and private ownership which will truly transform the industry.
"You will see these technologies on the racetrack. However, eVTOLs are already a trillion-dollar industry and we see a very substantial market for private flying cars emerging in the near future. In conventional aerospace, there are about as many private jets as there are commercial jets in operation," says Matt Pearson, CEO, Alauda Aeronautics. "Once we can sell you a flying car for the same price as a Tesla, you'll quickly see the balance shift…the potential for people to own and drive their own flying car one day is absolutely enormous. It's a very exciting time."
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