Drag Racing Takes To The Skies With Remotely Piloted, Electric ‘Octocopters’

Motorsport is not a new concept. But flying cars are, relatively, so there’s some potential here. That’s what Airspeeder, an Australian startup, is aiming to grow.

Its EXA racing series highlights the electric Airspeeder Mk3, which is a speedy octocopter. Last June, the first successful flight of the vehicle was reported by the firm, and in November, the first test drag race took place. 

This involved two Mk3 Speeders, boasting 2.3 seconds in 0–100km/h time and a top speed of almost 200km/h, or 124.3mph. 

The Mk3 is remotely flown from a simulator environment described to mimic a future cockpit. “Finger-tip commands” are sent almost instantly to the vehicle, which navigates its way through the airborne tracks. Airspeeder has stated that this unique way of racing means that the pilots come from a wide range of backgrounds, from aviation to eSports.

But there’s also going to be the Mk4, which is set to launch later this year. This will be a piloted-operated vehicle, flown directly from inside its cockpit.

10 to 15 minutes of octocopter flight time will be powered on a single charge; after that, a battery pack can be swapped out in a pitstop similar to those on racing tracks. Boss Hunting reports that this will only take around 20 seconds. This makes it comparable to F1 pitstops, which used to take up to a minute.

“EXA is extreme, close proximity racing that drives us towards piloted flying car GPs,” the racing series’ website writes. “This is sport for the digital era. It needs no physical infrastructure for spectators or tracks. We race with minimal ecological impact.”

[via Boss Hunting, images via Airspeeder]