480 km/h: Hobbyist builds the world's fastest electric quadcopter
A hobbyist from South Africa is the Guinness record holder for the fastest electric quadcopter in the world. Three months of work went into the project.
The opened Peregreen2 high-speed drone before the record attempt.
(Image: Luke Maximo Bell (Screenshot))
Hobbyist and YouTuber Luke Maximo Bell has built the world's fastest electric quadcopter together with his father and set a new Guinness record in the process. Bell significantly surpassed the previous speed record of 360.503 km/h: it now stands at 480.23 km/h. The record for the fastest camera drone in the world, which was held by the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team, has thus been pulverized.
The record was set on April 21 in Western Cape, South Africa. The Peregreen2 drone achieved a top speed of 480.23 km/h. The acceleration values of the quadcopter are also breathtaking: the drone accelerates to a speed of 300 km/h within two seconds.
The drone's speed is the result of an ingenious combination of a stable, lightweight frame, aerodynamic housing and electric drive. Bell made the frame from carbon. This guarantees high strength combined with low weight.
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Four brushless electric motors from T-Motor, a specialist in drone motors, are used. Specially tuned models are used as propellers. The motors are powered by a lithium-polymer battery with 1800 mAh and 44.4 V. The batteries turned out to be the key to the project. During initial tests, they reached temperatures of over 130 degrees Celsius, triggered by the high currents flowing under full load. The problem was solved together with the battery manufacturer so that maximum temperatures of only 83 degrees Celsius were reached. The cable thickness of the motors also had to be adjusted to cope with the high currents without the cables desoldering themselves.
Aerodynamics
During the aerodynamics tests, Bell was unable to use the possibilities of a wind tunnel, as the development team from the Oracle Red Bull Racing Team was able to do. Instead, Bell tested his aerodynamic designs with the window of a moving car open. A shape that has a self-stabilizing effect emerged as the optimal solution. The developers used a short tail with fins, which promised a stable flight. Bell printed the aerodynamic housing using a 3D printer and integrated the carbon frame and other necessary components. The two developers built a camera into the top of the drone.
Bell initially had to accept setbacks and fine-tune the design. In an initial test run, the drone "only" reached a speed of around 400 km/h, according to Bell. Too little for the hobbyist's ambitions. He replaced the motors with more powerful models, replaced the propellers and further improved the aerodynamics.
During the world record attempt, the Peregreen2 reached an officially measured top speed of 480.23 km/h, confirmed by Guinness. However, the drone is also said to have reached top speeds exceeding 500 km/h. Three months of work passed between the initial design of the high-speed quadcopter and the world record attempt.
(olb)