Nascent eVTOL “flying car” racing league Airspeeder has announced a collaboration with renowned architecture firm HOK to introduce the “SkyDeck,” described as the world’s first modular race vertiport. This solar-powered hub will offer fans 360-degree views of the eVTOLs racing through the air, bringing a new level of immersion to motorsports.
Airspeeder is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) racing league headquartered in London, first announced in November 2021. The league operates as an entity of Alauda Aeronautics – an electric aviation company based in Adelaide, Australia, where the league’s headquarters and testing grounds are located. Alauda also designs, engineers, and builds the league’s dedicated eVTOL racing aircraft called “Airspeeders.”
Since its initial launch, we’ve seen Alauda and Airspeeder assemble teams of racers that competed in development races on the way to an entire global competition called the EXA Series. In the fall of 2022, 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, Airspeeder pilots like Zephatali Walsh, who ended up winning the inaugural EXA Series Championship in December 2023, competed remotely from the ground. The goal of Airspeeder and the EXA Series has always been to deliver crewed “flying car” races, which should happen using Mk4 eVTOLs, which were unveiled in early February.
To add even more technology to a unique and exciting new motorsport, Airspeeder has recently collaborated with HOK to design a new modular vertiport, which will allow future spectators to visit and experience aerial action up close with 360-degree views. You can see more in the video below.
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A rending of the SkyDeck eVTOL vertiport / Source: Airspeeder -
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Airspeeder looks to revolutionize flying car races for fans
Airspeeder shared details of its new innovative design collaboration called “SkyDeck,” which is a modular flying car race vertiport and event space developed with HOK’s Sports + Entertainment team based in London.
HOK brought experience in developing and building unique design projects like LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B in New York City, Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the Atlanta Falcons play, and the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Together, HOK and Airspeeder shared they have been able to imagine a new creative space for EXA Series spectators that also addresses the unique challenges of flying car races. Per John Rhodes, director of Sports + Entertainment at HOK:
It is incredibly exciting to design a brand new sports typology. Airspeeder challenged us to draw on our decades of expertise designing for F1 and other sporting events while also imagining a physical environment for the future.
The result of these efforts its the SkyDeck, a new fully-modular eVTOL vertiport that is 100% solar-powered as part of Airspeeder’s “leave no trace” philosophy of sustainability in motorsports. The initial design seen above offers space for up to 10 teams and 20 Airspeeders. However, its modularity allows room for continuous expansion to the structure in order to meet the evolving needs of the young aerial sport as it grows.
This new hub design is unique in that it sits directly beneath the airborne racetrack. The vertical nature of this setup offers a spectators an immersive 360-degree experience, where they can observe the race grid and finish line from one spot.
HOK has also helped design an “airside” zone within the SkyDeck, where teams have protected workspaces that fans can see and watch behind the scenes action. These zones also include retractable landing pads for mid-race pit stops to change batteries. Stephen Sidlo, Airspeeder’s global media & marketing director, also spoke:
We believe that flying car racing will initiate a new mobility revolution, advancing eVTOL and EV technology to benefit the entire industry. This collaboration with HOK represents not just a new sport but the future of high-speed, sustainable mobility.
As if flying car races weren’t unique enough to the world of motorsport, Airspeeder and HOK believe the SkyDeck, which will be erected in the desert of Australia, is first-of-its-kind approach for fans that will combine cutting-edge design with interactive digital experiences.
Airspeeder looks to continue its EXA flying car race series with 10 crewed teams in 2025.
Author: Scooter Doll
Source: Electrek
