Airspeeder unveils Mk4 eVTOL ahead of first crewed flying car racing series
Alauda Aeronautics – the electric aviation company behind the design of the eVTOLs being developed for the nascent Airspeeder racing series – has unveiled its latest “flying car.” As the next iteration of Airspeeder, the Mk4 is the first to be designed specifically for crewed racing flights as the league moves closer to enabling its racers to compete from the tracks in the skies.
Airspeeder is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) racing league headquartered in London, first announced in November 2021. The league exists as an entity of Alauda Aeronautics – an electric aviation company based in Adelaide, Australia, where the league’s technical HQ is located along with its testing grounds. Alauda designs, engineers, and builds the league’s eVTOL racing aircraft called “Airspeeders.”
Since its initial launch, Alauda and Airspeeder have been assembling teams of racers to compete in development races on the way to a full global competition called the EXA Series. In March of 2022, the series announced former Formula E driver Bruno Senna as an early eVTOL racing pilot and an ambassador to the league.
Meanwhile, Alauda Aeronautics has spent hours upon hours testing its Airspeeder eVTOLs remotely piloted using virtual cockpits on the ground. This past fall, we got our first glimpse of the excitement an eVTOL racing league could bring to motorsport enthusiasts when Airspeeder showcased its first-ever EXA racing event.
At the time, pilots Zephatiali Walsh and Fabio Tishcler were given full license to race their Mk3 Airspeeder eVTOLs blade-to-blade around a one-kilometer-long digital sky-track circuit in Australia.
However, those pilots, once again, competed remotely from the ground. The goal of Airspeeder and the EXA Series has always been to deliver crewed eVTOL racing. Following today’s rendering reveal of the Mk4 Airspeeder, eVTOLs piloted from the sky are now one step closer to reality.
Crewed eVTOL racing gets a sleek new Airspeeder
The public got its first glimpse of the upcoming crew-friendly Mk4 eVTOL in the UK this morning in the form of the renderings from Alauda Aeronautics, seen above in the images and a video below. As the first-ever eVTOL racing league, Airspeeder continues to deliver a running record of firsts with the Mk4.
As previously mentioned, this eVTOL should be the first Airspeeder design that will actually be manually operated by pilots from the air rather than remotely. Additionally, the MK4 is the first Airspeeder utilizing hydrogen technology, as previous models were powered by swappable battery packs.
The core of this technology is a Thunderstrike Hydrogen Turbogenerator, which Airspeeder says can offer 300 kilometers (188 miles) of range. Its 1,000 kW (1,340 hp) turbogenerator powers the entire racing eVTOL, including the aircraft’s “Thunderstrike” motor that incorporates a unique 3D-printed combustor developed for rocket engines. It helps keep the hydrogen flame temperature low while reducing nitrous oxide emissions.
Hydrogen also has a high energy density for being quite lightweight – perfect for small aircraft like eVTOLs. It also produces zero emissions aside from pure water. Alauda Aeronautics CEO Matt Pearson spoke to the new Mk4 racing eVTOL:
We, and the world, are ready for crewed flying car racing. We have built the vehicles, developed the sport, secured the venues, attracted the sponsors and technical partners. Now is the time for the world’s most progressive, innovative and ambitious automotive brands, OEM manufacturers and motorsport teams to be part of a truly revolutionary new motorsport. In unveiling the crewed Airspeeder Mk4 we show the vehicles that will battle it out in blade-to-blade racing crewed by the most highly-skilled pilots in their fields.
Those blade-to-blade crewed races should be a lot safer with the Mk4, as you’ll notice Alauda has added covers to its gimballed rotors, allowing for better maneuverability but less of a risk of chopping any limbs off. Alauda Aeronautics is donning the upcoming Mk4 as the “world’s fastest eVTOL,” capable of racing to a top speed of 225 mph (360 km/h) in 30 seconds from a standing start.
Airspeeder and Alauda Aeronautics state that flight testing with the Mk4 is already underway in South Australia, with the series’ first crewed races expected sometime in 2024. Check out the debut video of the MK4 rendering below before the crewed racing eVTOL makes its public debut at Southstart Innovation Festival on March 7 in Adelaide.
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For the second time, a judge strikes down Elon Musk’s $55 billion Tesla CEO pay package as the company struggles to avoid seeing its sales slip year over year for the first time. Plus: an all-new look for Jaguar this Giving Tuesday on Quick Charge!
We’ve also got record EV sales from both Kia and Hyundai, with the latter seeing IONIQ 5 sales double over last year, more Tesla discounts in China AND North America, and more.
Today’s episode is sponsored by Buzz Bicycles, an omnichannel eBike brand that prioritizes excellent value for its growing base of eBike enthusiasts. For a limited time, use promo code “ELECTREK200” at checkout for $200 off the purchase of a Buzz Centris Folding eBike, and be sure to explore all of the company’s Black Friday Deals at Buzzbicycles.com.
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Read more: Renault E-Tech T semi truck gets 600 km range for ’25, logs 19 million miles.
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“Tesla could not meet program standards” on Oklahoma’s NEVI EV charger installation program, so EVgo took over.
As Electrek originally reported in April, Oklahoma approved more than $8 million in federal funds for Tesla, Love’s Travel Stops, and Francis Energy to build DC fast chargers along its interstates.
The three companies were to provide a combined $7 million in private funding match to build 13 DC fast charging stations. The first round of awards would complete the buildout of I-35, I-40, and I-44 as Alternative Fuel Corridors.
Tesla was supposed to install three Superchargers at the I-44 exit 240 in Catoosa, the I-40 exit 240B in Henryetta, and the I-44 exit 125B in Oklahoma City. In order to qualify for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program funding, they had to be equipped with Magic Docks – that is, CCS compatibility.
However, OK Energy Today reports that Oklahoma Transportation Commissioners unanimously approved replacing Tesla with second-place EVgo yesterday.
Jared Schennesen, multi-modal division manager to the nine commissioners, said:
Tesla could not meet program standards for the gap awarded along I-44 in Oklahoma City.
Due to not meeting the program requirements, ODOT required that the award be revoked from Tesla as direct[ed] by state procurement rules and awarded to second-place finisher EVgo for this gap.
Schennesen didn’t specify exactly how Tesla couldn’t meet the program standards, but the article goes on to note that EVgo reduced its costs considerably compared to what Tesla’s project costs were:
EVgo won the award for a total of $519,740, and Schennesen said it reduced the total project cost by $317,932. The federal share of the project will increase by $201,781 bringing the final total to $801,780.
EVgo has more than 1,000 DC fast charging locations in 40 states and serves over 65 metropolitan areas.
Oklahoma’s NEVI EV charger installation program, EVOK, is responsible for spending $66 million from 2022-27 in NEVI Formula Program funds to create a state EV charging network. The federal NEVI program allocates $5 billion over five years to help US states create a network of EV charging stations. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The NEVI program requires EV charging stations to be available every 50 miles and within one travel mile of the Alternative Fuel Corridor. EV charging stations must include at least four ports with connectors capable of simultaneously charging four EVs at 150 kilowatts (kW) each, with a total station power capacity of 600 kW or more.
The charging stations must have 24-hour public accessibility and provide amenities like restrooms, food and beverage, and shelter.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) says it will loan up to $7.54 billion to a Stellantis and Samsung SDI joint venture to help build two EV lithium-ion battery plants in Indiana.
Stellantis + Samsung EV battery plants loan
The joint venture is called StarPlus Energy LLC, and its huge project will create huge job growth: at least 2,800 jobs at the plants, plus hundreds more for parts suppliers at a nearby park.
At full capacity, the plants will produce about 67 GWh of batteries for Stellantis EVs in Kokomo, enough to supply about 670,000 vehicles annually, the DOE’s Loan Programs Office said. Stellantis said yesterday that the first plant will open in early 2025 and the second in 2027.
To secure the loan, StarPlus needs to implement its Community Benefits Plan, which includes working with community and labor leaders to create well-paying jobs. It’s unclear whether the loan will be able to be finalized before Donald Trump takes office on January 20, but according to the Associated Press, the DOE said “it would be irresponsible for ‘any government to turn its back on private sector partners, states, and communities that are benefiting from lower energy costs and new economic opportunities’ from the loans.”
Electrek’s Take
Since Trump is threatening tariffs all over the place to stimulate domestic manufacturing, it would be pretty dumb if he attempted to kill this loan. The DOE anticipates this and makes a point of saying in its announcement that “the project will greatly expand EV battery manufacturing capacity in North America and reduce America’s reliance on adversarial foreign nations like China, as well as other foreign sourcing of EV batteries.”
If you live in an area that has frequent natural disaster events, and are interested in making your home more resilient to power outages, consider going solar and adding a battery storage system. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
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