The BMW Group will introduce the first electric drive mechanism for a wingsuit in which the centuries-old dream of flight can be achieved in a radically new way.
The innovative drive module and the newly built wingsuit were created in collaboration with BMW I, Designworks, and the experienced wingsuit pilot Peter Salzmann from Austria.
His maiden flight with the Electrified Wingsuit by BMW I was visually captured in a detailed video documentary.
The spectacular film, which will be seen for the first time in the run-up to the #NEXTGen 2020, discusses how BMW eDrive technologies will make a lasting difference to the mobility experiences of the individual.
Long-term expertise and the pooled production abilities of BMW I brands have now been used in a truly creative way. The outcome is an incredibly efficient, lightweight, light-driven, and energy-storage kit for a unique flying experience with the BMW I Electrified Wingsuit.
The BMW I Electrified Wingsuit Flying Machine consists of two carbon-coated propellers, the so-called impellers, each with a power output of 7.5 kW, a speed of about 25.000 rpm, and a total output of 15 kW, which is usable for approximately 5 minutes.
The concept of the drive unit and the similarly exclusively designed wingsuit is the result of the collaboration between Peter Salzmann and the Designworks creative team.
The BMW Group subsidiary has strongly influenced the BMW I brand a design from the outset, applying its creative capabilities not only in the automotive sector but also on behalf of numerous international clients from other branches of industry.
Approximately 3 years elapsed from the concept of a wingsuit flight with an electric boost to the premiere in the Austrian Alps.
During this time air sports visionary Peter Salzmann and his colleagues at BMW, i and Designworks collaborated on the details of the suit and the drive system.
The electrical twin-propeller drive mechanism, including the energy storage element, was entirely built into the front of the wingsuit. The wind tunnel experiments at the BMW Community Aerodynamics Research Centre in Munich were an important aspect of the project’s growth program.
The Electrified Wingsuit project by BMW I was prompted by Peter Salzmann’s aspiration to lift wingsuit sport to a new standard.
The 33-year-old Austrian is a skydiving coach and meanwhile, has also made base jumping and skydiving his specialty.
In addition to skydiving training and wingsuit riding, his portfolio includes film tricks and displays.
When leaping from the cliffs or the plane, Salzmann uses a cloth sheet extended between the arms and the legs of his wingsuit as a paraglider that helps him to produce a horizontal flight from the speed of fall and the flow of air.
Up to three meters of horizontal flight can be accomplished with each meter of descent.Wingsuit skydivers can achieve speeds of over 100 km/h.
The electric drive system aims to increase the performance of the wingsuit to achieve a better constant glide flight, thus allowing longer distances to be covered.
Upon activation, Salzmann states, the pilot encountered instant acceleration, allowing them to travel at speeds of more than 300 km/h.
For the maiden flight with the Electrified Wingsuit BMW I Salzmann was flown by helicopter along with two other wingsuit pilots over the mountains of his homeland of Austria.
Directly after the jumping from an altitude of 3,000 meters,
the info was flown in the direction of the mountain massif. With the aid of the electric drive, Salzmann accelerated quicker than his teammates and was able to fly over the top in a steep flight.
After flying a further curve, he encountered the other two pilots who had flown across the mountain in a glide ride. The three wingsuit pilots eventually opened their parachutes and arrived at their destination.
Following the successful premiere, Peter Salzmann and the BMW I and Designworks experts continued their work on designing the world’s first electric-powered wingsuit.
The Austrian is deeply persuaded that electric power technology will shape the future, not just on the track, but also in the air.
To him, the project Electrified Wingsuit by BMW i, demonstrates perfectly which previously undreamt-of possibilities can Become reality with the help of electric mobility.
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