First Flying Speeder Race Zooms into History Books

The world saw its first aerial drag race in the deserts of Australia, and electric car enthusiasts are over the moon.

Last week Wednesday, 3 November, two unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) speedsters with four rotors clocked over 100 kilometres per hour while ten metres above the ground in a nearly 400-metre outback race in Adelaide, situated in the southern part of Australia.

The organisers of the event, Airspeeder, hope it will provide the impetus to host many more similar races.

Both eVTOL vehicles were developed and constructed by Alauda Aeronautics, an Australian company that specialises in electric flying cars. The race was a test-run for the launch of the EXA Series racing competition that is expected to start next year.

Alauda is looking to improve safety by using advanced radar technology that enhances navigation, creating “virtual force-fields” around each car and drastically reducing the risk of close quarter collisions.

The company is hoping to launch the manned race at to-be-announced locations, with the cars reaching speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour.

Matt Pearson, founder and CEO of both Alauda and Airspeeder, said: “We are on the cusp of making motorsport and mobility history with the world’s first electric flying car races. This test race provides the world a glimpse at the next generation of motorsport and … a giant leap forward for the development of electric flying cars.”

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