In 2021, the world finally has an electric powered racing car that can fly! Recently, the Airspeed Mk3 which is the world’s first electric powered racing car was disclosed to the public. Surprisingly, it is not merely an electric powered racing car, but it is also an electric powered racing car that can fly. Yes, you read that correct! The Airspeed Mk3 is an eVTOL which means it can perform vertical take-off and landing exercises. Currently, the car is being produced at Airspeeder and Alauda’s headquarter in Adelaide, Australia. The corporation is working to produce the car as quickly as possible because in the second half of 2021, the car will make its inaugural flight in full public view at a racing event. In 2021, an expert remote operator from the base will control the vehicle. However, pilots will be dropped inside the cockpit of the vehicle in 2022. Moving on to the design of the eVTOL, the vehicle has taken inspiration from legendary car companies such as Bugatti, Rolls Royce and Mercedes-Benz. Talking about the powertrain of the vehicle, a 96kW electric motor which produces an astounding power figure of 429bhp powers the Mk3. The Airspeed Mk3 can hit a top speed of 120 kilometres per hour and can touch 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in merely 2.8 seconds. When compared to the famous Audi Q7, the Mk3 generates a lot more power because the Mk3 weighs merely 130 kilograms whereas the Audi Q7 weighs 2,500 kilograms. That’s not all, as the Mk3 was also compared to the fighter jet F15E Strike Eagle. The thrust ratio of the fighter jet is 1.2 pales whereas the Mk3 keeps it behind with a massive thrust ratio of 3.5 pales. Another comparison was drawn with F1 cars where the Mk3 reached up to 5Gs on hairpin bends which is similar to the Gs faced by F1 drivers. To ensure adequate safety while racing, the Airspeeder Mk3 is equipped with safety systems, such as LIDAR & Radar collision avoidance systems. As per a report published by the autoexpress, Felix Pierron, Head of Design for Airspeed and Alauda, said, “My first principle is that our Speeders are racing craft first. In ideating a design approach, I explored the classic forms of racing cars from the 1950s and 1960s. This was a time when the requirement for beauty was equal to technological and aerodynamic necessity. As a designer, there is no better place to start. I am excited to see something that started as a vision on paper taken to the air.”
