Mankind has realized the dream flight decades ago. Apparently, it isn’t enough for some and hence, the birth of wingsuit. Speaking of wingsuit, what you see here is one. However, it is a wingsuit unlike any other. It is an Electrified Wingsuit by BMW i.
Developed in collaboration with BMW i and Designworks, and Austrian professional base jumper and skydiver Peter Salzmann, the Electrified Wingsuit is an exclusively developed wingsuit powered by two 7.5 kW electric engines that spin the twin carbon impellers at around 25,000 RPM.
With this wingsuit, the pilot is able to achieve a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph!), which is three times faster than traditional wing suits. With the aid of the electric engines, a wingsuit pilot could fly longer and faster. The only caveat is, it could only run for about five minutes.
The Electrified Wingsuit, which is three years in the making, is no concept. It is a real thing which has been through its maiden flight. Salzmann was flown by a helicopter along with two other wingsuit pilots over the “Drei Brüder” mountain range in Austria where they jumped off at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet).
The Electrified Wingsuit was revealed as part of BMW’s #NEXTGen 2020 event on November 10, 2020.
While the electric drive system for wingsuit is no doubt a marketing effort on BMW’s part to promote its electric drive used in its EVs, it also opens up the possibilities of electric drive uses in the air. Who knows? It future, short range commute could one that we fly ourselves?
For those who are interested, you can learn more about the Electrified Wingsuit by BMW i HERE.
All images courtesy of BMW Group.
