Peter Salzmann is an Austrian wingsuit pilot, base jumper, stuntman, skydiver, and sports scientist.
Salzmann leaned on his expertise in the area to make regular skydiving and base jumping more exciting by toying with the idea of a motor on his wingsuit for awhile. Salzmann got in touch with BMWi, a BMW subsidiary with a focus on electric propulsion, in 2017.
Working with the BMWi and Designworks, Salzmann built a chest-mounted rig, powered by electric motors. At first glance, the contraption looks like a mini-submersible that can dive into a water body looking for a prized possession, but the carbon body impellers on the device can rotate at an impressive rate of 25,000 rpm.
With a 7.5kW engine, each impeller compresses the air and pushes it out at a higher pressure providing up to 5 minutes of thrust that Salzmann could use to gain some extra speed as well as an altitude boost. It is powered by a 50V lithium-ion battery that can be activated with a thumb-operated throttle on the left sleeve of his suit.
The wingsuit was revealed as part of BMW’s #NEXTGen 2020 event. The suit is powered by a lithium battery pack that can be easily removed for recharging.
Peter broke the Guinness World Record in 2021 at 186 MPH by completing the first wingsuit flight, powered completely with electricity.
The development of the "Electrified Wingsuit" represents a significant milestone in the field of wingsuit flying and could open up new possibilities for the sport especially with the addition of graphene batteries replacing lithium battery power.
Peter Salzmann glide across the snow covered peaks of the Jungfrau Glacier, Switzerland.
"Changing Lanes", the official podcast of BMW, learn how the team uses impeller technology, and what it has to do with electric cars.
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