Airbus Preps For World’s First All-Electric Airplane Racing Series, Air Race E, In 2020

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The UK’s Team Condor Aviation and Air Race E presented a retrofit of “White Lightning,” a formula one racer from the 1980s and 1990s at the recent Dubai Airshow. (Photo courtesy of Airbus.)

Sometime next year, organizers of Air Race E, “an ambitious project that will help accelerate both aviation and motorsport into the future,” will launch the “world’s first and only all-electric airplane racing championship” series. Air Race E has already named jet manufacturer Airbus as a Global Official Founding Partner and has partnered with the University of Nottingham to develop a prototype aircraft that incorporates an electric motor, battery, and power electronics system. At the recent Dubai Airshow, Air Race E presented an electric-powered retrofit of “White Lightning,” a 1980s/1990s formula one racer that the UK’s Team Condor Aviation will compete with.

The Time Is Right

Air Race E says while air racing has been around decades, it’s time to evolve the sport. “The technology is ready now to race, and can be used as a platform for the technology that will be here tomorrow for commercial air travel,” says Air Race E, whose team was also behind the Air Race 1 Series. Air Race E has a dedicated test center and qualified test pilots and certified race pilots in place, and is working with the Formula Air Racing Association, which sanctions new race formulas. With Airbus, meanwhile, the organization is working toward adoption of “cleaner, faster, and more technologically advanced electric engines” suitable for urban air mobility vehicles and eventually commercial aircraft.

Eight teams are set for the inaugural competition, which will feature average speeds likely topping 280 mph (450 km/h) across multiple laps of “wingtip-to-wingtip” racing spanning about 15.5 miles (25 kilometers). Air Race E will designate a host city each year as home of the Air Race E World Cup, and stage standalone cup events in other cities. As more cities are added, they’ll form “a series with points accruing to crown an overall series champion.”

Meet The Teams

Other teams set for participation include the USA’s Allways Racing, Team Möbius, and Blue-Beta Racing. The latter is credited with building “the world’s largest electric aircraft to have flown.” Other teams include Germany’s Team Hangar-1, The Netherlands’ Team NL, Canada’s Team Outlaw, and France’s Team Scramasaxe (led by Eric de Barberin-Barberini, holder of five aviation world speed records).

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Source: Airbus

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