Nascent eVTOL “flying automobile” racing league Airspeeder has introduced a collaboration with famend structure agency HOK to introduce the “SkyDeck,” described because the world’s first modular race vertiport. This solar-powered hub will provide followers 360-degree views of the eVTOLs racing by the air, bringing a brand new degree of immersion to motorsports.
Airspeeder is an electrical vertical takeoff and touchdown (eVTOL) racing league headquartered in London, first introduced in November 2021. The league operates as an entity of Alauda Aeronautics – an electrical aviation firm primarily based in Adelaide, Australia, the place the league’s headquarters and testing grounds are situated. Alauda additionally designs, engineers, and builds the league’s devoted eVTOL racing plane referred to as “Airspeeders.”
Since its preliminary launch, we’ve seen Alauda and Airspeeder assemble groups of racers that competed in improvement races on the way in which to a whole world competitors referred to as the EXA Sequence. Within the fall of 2022, we obtained our first glimpse of the joy an eVTOL racing league may deliver to motorsport fanatics when Airspeeder showcased its first-ever EXA racing occasion.
On the time, Airspeeder pilots like Zephatali Walsh, who ended up successful the inaugural EXA Sequence Championship in December 2023, competed remotely from the bottom. The aim of Airspeeder and the EXA Sequence has all the time been to ship crewed “flying automobile” races, which ought to occur utilizing Mk4 eVTOLs, which had been unveiled in early February.
So as to add much more know-how to a novel and thrilling new motorsport, Airspeeder has just lately collaborated with HOK to design a brand new modular vertiport, which is able to enable future spectators to go to and expertise aerial motion up shut with 360-degree views. You possibly can see extra within the video beneath.
Airspeeder appears to revolutionize flying automobile races for followers
Airspeeder shared particulars of its new modern design collaboration referred to as “SkyDeck,” which is a modular flying automobile race vertiport and occasion area developed with HOK’s Sports activities + Leisure crew primarily based in London.
HOK introduced expertise in growing and constructing distinctive design initiatives like LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B in New York Metropolis, Mercedes-Benz Stadium the place the Atlanta Falcons play, and the Etihad Area on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Collectively, HOK and Airspeeder shared they’ve been in a position to think about a brand new artistic area for EXA Sequence spectators that additionally addresses the distinctive challenges of flying automobile races. Per John Rhodes, director of Sports activities + Leisure at HOK:
It’s extremely thrilling to design a model new sports activities typology. Airspeeder challenged us to attract on our many years of experience designing for F1 and different sporting occasions whereas additionally imagining a bodily setting for the long run.
The results of these efforts its the SkyDeck, a brand new fully-modular eVTOL vertiport that’s 100% solar-powered as a part of Airspeeder’s “depart no hint” philosophy of sustainability in motorsports. The preliminary design seen above gives area for as much as 10 groups and 20 Airspeeders. Nonetheless, its modularity permits room for steady enlargement to the construction to be able to meet the evolving wants of the younger aerial sport because it grows.
This new hub design is exclusive in that it sits instantly beneath the airborne racetrack. The vertical nature of this setup gives a spectators an immersive 360-degree expertise, the place they’ll observe the race grid and end line from one spot.
HOK has additionally helped design an “airside” zone inside the SkyDeck, the place groups have protected workspaces that followers can see and watch behind the scenes motion. These zones additionally embody retractable touchdown pads for mid-race pit stops to vary batteries. Stephen Sidlo, Airspeeder’s world media & advertising and marketing director, additionally spoke:
We imagine that flying automobile racing will provoke a brand new mobility revolution, advancing eVTOL and EV know-how to learn all the business. This collaboration with HOK represents not only a new sport however the way forward for high-speed, sustainable mobility.
As if flying automobile races weren’t distinctive sufficient to the world of motorsport, Airspeeder and HOK imagine the SkyDeck, which can be erected within the desert of Australia, is first-of-its-kind strategy for followers that can mix cutting-edge design with interactive digital experiences.
Airspeeder appears to proceed its EXA flying automobile race collection with 10 crewed groups in 2025. You possibly can see extra of the design plans for the SkyDeck in Airspeeder’s video beneath:
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