Air Race E

The Air Race E World Cup (also known as Air Race E) is a planned air racing championship run to Formula One rules and adapted for purely electric aircraft. Entrants will design and build electric aircraft to take part in races, flying in groups of 8 around a 5 km oval course marked by 'pylons' at speeds in excess of 250 mph.[1] The series is expected to get underway in 2020 and is backed by Airbus, who signed on as founding partner in February 2019.

Air Race E World Cup
A Cassutt Special, a piston engined racing aircraft similar to the type of aircraft that will be used in Air Race E
TypeAir Racing
FormatFormula One rules under electric power
Dates2020
Teams4 declared (16 max)

The races will be held in host cities around the world, with races at each city forming one round of an Air Race E season. The team with the post points over the season will win the Air Race E World Cup. In the inaugural season, at least one race event will score points towards the World Cup, with the remaining races forming stand-alone events.[2]

History

Air Race E was announced in April 2018 by Jeff Zaltman, CEO of Air Race Events who also run the Air Race 1 Cup for Formula One Air Racing. It was announced that Air Race E would be a sister championship also run to Formula One Air Racing rules and sanctioned by the Forumula Air Racing Association (FARA) and Association des Pilotes D’Avions de Formules (APAF)[3] In November 2018, it was announced that the University of Nottingham, a UK university, would build the first Air Race E plane by converting a Cassutt III aircraft to electric propulsion. This aircraft would serve as an experimental test bed to help inform the organisers in the creation of the series.[4]

February 2019 saw the European aerospace multinational, Airbus, announce a global partnership with Air Race E, becoming a founding partner for the series. Airbus's primary role will be to work with both Air Race E and other Air Race E partners to help shape the exact format and technical regulations for the inaugural season in 2020.[5]

In June 2019, the first four teams to enter Air Race E were announced, originating from the countries of the USA, the Netherlands and the UK.[6]

As of July 2019, Air Race E is officially seeking applications from potential cities to be hosts for the races.[7]

Format

Air Race E say that it will follow the race format of Formula One pylon air racing. This means that eight race planes will race on an oval course marked out by 'Pylons' which the aircraft must fly around. The oval course will be approximately 5 km in length and racers will have to complete 5 laps from a standing start. The first of the 8 race planes to cross the finish line will be declared the winner.[8]

It is expected that a comparable level of performance to Formula One Air Racing will be achievable using a similar ruleset adapted for electric propulsion. As such, Air Race E aircraft are expected to have a power output in the 100-150 kW range (130-200 HP) and weigh approximately 300–350 kg.[9] Speeds in excess of 400 km/h (250 mph) are predicted by Air Race E.[10]

Parallels have been drawn between Air Race E and the automotive racing series Formula E (also a relatively recent player in its field having started holding races in 2014), particularly in regards to their intention: to spur on the development of high performance electric powertrains.[11] Air Race E states that its core 'mission' is to:[12]

  • Develop electric propulsion technology for aircraft
  • Promote green aviation
  • Entertain audiences with high speed air racing

Teams

Teams currently signed up to compete in the Air Race E World Cup are:[13]

Team Team Captain Country of Origin
AllWays Air Racing Casey Erickson United States
Condor Martyn Wiseman United Kingdom
Team NL Rick Boerma Netherlands
Blue-BETA Racing Kyle Clark United States
Team Hanger-1 Adrian Schmer Germany
Team Möbius Carl Copeland United States
Team Outlaw Scott Holmes Canada
Team Scramasaxe Eric de Barberin-Barberini France
Equator Aircraft Øystein Solheim-Aune Norway
Team Bandit Racing United Kingdom[14]

See also

References
  1. "About Air Race E". airracee.com. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  2. "Host Cities". airracee.com. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. "Plans for world's first all-electric racing championship revealed". Pilot Magazine. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  4. "Electric plane to be built in Nottingham for pioneering air race". Nottingham Post. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  5. "Airbus creates the first electric airplane race with Air Race E". Airbus. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  6. "First teams enter inaugural Air Race E". Pilot Magazine. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  7. "Applications open to host world's first-ever electric air race". HostCity.net. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  8. "Air Race E:the Circuit". airracee.com. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  9. "Air Race E: Electric air racing looking to take flight". The Engineer. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  10. "About Air Race E". airracee.com. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  11. "Air Race E: Electric air racing looking to take flight". The Engineer. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  12. "About Air Race E". airracee.com. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  13. "FIRST TEAMS DECLARE ENTRY FOR INAUGURAL ELECTRIC AIR RACE". airracee.com. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  14. Needham, Martin; Haynes, Thomas (February 2021). "GA Focus: Small Fly!". Air International. Vol. 100 no. 2. p. 23. ISSN 0306-5634.
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