--- title: "Electric Wingsuit Lets You Fly at 186 MPH" description: "Engineers at BMW have created a chest-mounted set of electric motors that allow a wingsuit to accelerate to a blistering 186 mph." date: "2020-11-09" modified: "2020-11-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/electric-wingsuit-fly-186-mph" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "jet suit" - "the digest" --- # Electric Wingsuit Lets You Fly at 186 MPH ![Engineers at BMW have created a chest-mounted set of electric motors that allow a wingsuit to accelerate to a blistering 186 mph.]() *\Image: BMW\* ## Powered Wingsuit Engineers at German carmaker BMW's Designworks studio have created a chest-mounted set of electric impellers that allow a wingsuit to accelerate to a blistering 186 mph, [*New Atlas* reports](). Rather than just gliding, like a conventional wingsuit, the BMW propulsion system can put out 20 horsepower, allowing its wearer to actually *gain back* altitude — albeit only as long as the suit's limited charge lasts. https://youtu.be/iQLLuEHTwJo ## Flying Up The maniacal invention has already been tested in specialized wing tunnels and has been used during 30 test jumps. During its first public demonstration, the suit allowed stuntman and daredevil Peter Salzmann to zip past the Del Brüder mountain peaks in the Austrian Alps. Salzmann — and two other stuntmen kitted out with regular, unpowered wingsuits — jumped out of a helicopter at 10,000 feet. Once they started flying in formation, Salzman rocketed past them and flew over a final mountain peak. His fellow divers, without the extra power, had to fly around it. ## Jumping From Mountains It's still unclear if BMW will ever build such a wingsuit for the general public. The amazing invention seems to be largely a PR push for the carmaker's latest electric SUV, the iX3. "In a relaxed atmosphere one evening after a day of testing, we threw out lots of ideas about how we could improve performance," Salzmann recounted in a [press release](). "One of them was a supporting motor – and it’s an idea I just couldn’t shake. I found the idea of being able to jump from my local mountain wearing the wingsuit and land in my garden fascinating." **READ MORE:** [Dawn of a new extreme sport: The world's first electric wingsuit]() \[*New Atlas*\] **More on jet suits:** *[Hey Elon Musk, Hire This Guy in China Who Built His Own Amazing Jetpack Suit]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()