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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Tesla has officially launched a new version of the Cybertruck RWD for $70,000 in the US and Mexico.
It’s more expensive than previously announced and loses a ton of features, but it has more range.
Earlier today, we reported on Tesla unveiling in the Middle East a new ‘Cybertruck Long Range’.
The automaker confirmed that it had a single rear-wheel-drive (RWD) motor, but unlike the previously announced Cybertruck RWD, Tesla said it had 350 rather than 250 miles of range.
This would point to having the same battery pack as the Dual Motor and Cyberbeast currently available.
At the time, it wasn’t clear if Tesla was launching this specific version for the Middle East or if it was the new Cybertruck RWD to replace the previously announced $62,000 version.
Now, Tesla has opened orders in the online configurator for the US and Mexico of the new Cybertruck Long Range RWD:
It starts at $70,000 before incentive – $9,000 more than the previously announced Cybertruck, but it has 100 more miles on a single charge at 350 miles.
It’s also $10,000 less expensive than the Cybertruck Dual Motor.
You not only lose a motor, but you also lose the powered tonneau. You can buy a “soft tonneau” for $750 and it increases the range to 362 miles:
The new cheaper version also loses the adaptive suspension, the lightbar at the back, the rear screen, and even the bed outlets, according to Tesla’s website.
Tesla says that deliveries are going to start in June.
Electrek’s Take
I might be wrong, but I would assume that the previously announced $61,000 Cybertruck is not going to happen. The Cybertruck is likely proving to be too low-volume to warrant producing different sizes of battery packs.
However, this version might be just to make the $80,000 Cybertruck look better.
It’s not to lose the AWD, the tonneau, the adaptive suspension, and even the bed outlets for $10,000.
These are all pretty essential features of the Cybertruck. I don’t think this version will sell much at $70,000. Maybe they get a few sales of people trying to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit.
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![This electric excavator has battery swap tech that lets it recharge in minutes [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/electric-excavator.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
UPDATE: telematics announcement.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
Telematics announcement at bauma
Earlier today, XCMG launched its next-generation Xrea Global Telematics Platform, integrating IoT, big data, cloud computing, and AI to enable what it’s caling, “seamless cross-border fleet management.”
The new telematics platform supports a dozen languages via PC and mobile interfaces, and offers real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and data-driven optimization of both the vehicle and the vehicle’s batteries, empowering equipment managers and fleet operators to track fleets across town, or across time zones.
“XCMG remains committed to advancing engineering technology to empower a sustainable future. Our mission is to deliver efficient, intelligent, and eco-friendly lifecycle solutions for global clients,” said Mr. Yang Dongsheng, Chairman of XCMG Group and XCMG Machinery. “Today, 19% of our product portfolio comprises green innovations under our ‘Green Mountain’ new energy line, with full electrification across all series underway.”
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG; via PR Newswire.
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