Drones

Airspeeder Flying Vehicles Able to Race [VIDEO]

Alauda Completes 250th Test Flight for its Airpeeder Flying Car Racing Series

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M Crosby

Alauda Aeronautics, the creator of the world premier flying electric car racing series Airspeeder, has completed its 250th Test Flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of growing the eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) industry.

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Alauda will next bring Airspeeder to a global audience via its inaugural Grand Prix series, with events to be held on every continent. The company is also working towards the development of the first ever private performance eVTOL aircraft, following in the footsteps of companies such as Ferrari in its transition from racing to private vehicles.

Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics were both created in 2019 by Matt Pearson with the goal of advancing the electric flying car mobility industry through racing, offering a sport that also serves as a testing environment for the aircraft. This mission has already been met with considerable progress, with the company announcing in 2020 the completion of a fruitful seed round that raised significant funds from venture capitals such as Jelix Ventures and Saltwater Capital. The company has also drawn a variety of sponsors and technical partners, including Acronis and their delivery partner Teknov8, DHL, and Telstra in partnership with Amazon Web Services.

Alauda is already developing technology for its racing series that will see use by flying cars going forward. For example, the company’s engineering team is working alongside Telstra in partnership with Amazon Web Services on remote connectivity solutions that employ 5G technology to ensure the safety of its racing events and to broadcast and stream worldwide in real time. A ‘virtual force field’ making use of LiDAR and RADAR technologies allows Speeders to race blade-to-blade without making contact. This technology will set the foundation for the digital solutions that will enable safe autonomous eVTOL passenger flying in urban settings. Alauda has brought in senior engineers from Airbus, Boeing, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Mclaren and Jaguar Land Rover.

In June of 2021, Alauda showcased footage of the first ever full-scale electric flying race-car flight, and has gone on to pioneer a number of other world first racing flights. In leading the way in the electric flying car racing space, the company has collaborated with global regulators to establish certification and regulation.

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Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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