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The flying racing car: 1340 hp, hydrogen drive and AI technology

The flying racing car: 1340 hp, hydrogen drive and AI technology

With the Airspeeder Mk4, the Australian company Alauda Aeronautics wants to send a flying car with a lot of power into the race. The aircraft relies on an electric hydrogen engine, 1340 hp and artificial intelligence (AI).

Powerful racing cars with electric motors are by no means unusual these days – but flying racing cars are. But that should change soon. Alauda Aeronautics presented the Airspeeder Mk4 this week, which it says is the “first flying racing car with a crew”. Visually, it is clearly similar to a Formula 1 car, but instead of wheels, the racing plane has propellers and a turbine in the rear.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft eVTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) with hydrogen drive and an output of 1340 hp should be able to reach a top speed of 360 km/h in 30 seconds from a standing start. This should make it faster than any other aircraft of its kind. At the same time, the Airspeeder Mk4 is said to be extremely efficient thanks to its “advanced aerodynamics”. According to the manufacturer, the 950-kilogram aircraft has a range of more than 300 kilometers.

Flying racing car manned for the first time

The Airspeeder Mk4 is the fourth generation; its predecessor, the Mk3, was the company’s first flying electric race car – albeit unmanned. In 2021 the own racing series “EXA” started with four teams and two pilots each. They controlled the planes from a simulator cockpit on the ground. “Robot fliers” imitated the movements of the pilots.

Technology with artificial intelligence is now supposed to generate the driving characteristics of a Formula 1 car. The aircraft developed in Adelaide, South Australia, is scheduled to enter competitive sport next year – manned for the first time. The company speaks of the “next generation of motorsport”.

Companies are working on the development of flying cars

Alauda Aeronautics is not the only company involved in the development of flying cars. For example, the US manufacturer Aska presented the prototype of a vehicle with the A5 at the CES in Las Vegas at the beginning of January. The eVTOL vehicle has an electric and a petrol engine as a so-called range extender. It should be able to fly as well as drive. The company’s goal is for the four-seater to be approved for the Autobahn at a speed of around 110 km/h. The market launch is planned for 2026.

The Chinese Xpeng Aeroht also wants to bring a two-seater flying car onto the market – albeit for locomotion within towns. Here you can read more about it.

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Source: Stern

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