BMW develops 300km/h pure-electric wingsuit
German car-maker's pure-electric division develops wingsuit that benefits from i3 techBMW i and the car-maker's Californian design studio have teamed up to create a battery-powered wingsuit that's capable of flying at more than 300km/h.
Created to allow skydivers reach higher speeds and enjoy longer periods in free-fall, the pure-electric wingsuit took three years to develop and features two carbon-fibre impellers that are driven by a 10kW electric motor.
Spinning up to 25,000rpm, the electric motors hang from the wingsuit at chest level and are designed to run for up to five minutes.
Skydiver Peter Salzmann helped oversee BMW's wingsuit creation, which also involved wind tunnel tests to finetune its aerodynamics.
Commenting on its maiden flight, Salzmann said he was impressed by the "immediate acceleration, allowing them to fly at speeds of more than 186mph (300 km/h)".
Traditionally, wingsuits are powered by small jets that, occasionally, are strapped to the feet of the skydiver.
As part of the first flight shakedown, Salzmann jumped from a helicopter with two other skydivers with conventional jet-powered suits.
According to the Austrian base jumper, the electric motors' instant torque delivery meant the BMW-designed wingsuit accelerated faster than both the jet suits.
BMW has announced the new wingsuit will make its debut alongside the all-new iNEXT SUV online as part of its #NEXTGen event on November 11.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
