Exxovantage backs Airspeeder Team New Zealand ground crew

Exxovantage has joined Airspeeder Team New Zealand as an official team supplier under an agreement to equip the team's ground crew with occupational exoskeleton technology.

The arrangement focuses on race preparation and flight operations for the Airspeeder International Series, which organisers describe as the first racing series for electric flying cars. Exxovantage will provide its exoskeleton products and ergonomic support for crew members working around the aircraft on the ground.

Ground crews in the series are expected to work within short turnaround windows while managing aircraft preparation, equipment handling, and repetitive manual tasks. Airspeeder and Exxovantage said the deployment will target tasks where reducing physical strain could improve crew endurance, concentration, and safety.

Use of the equipment will be guided by ergonomic assessments, crew feedback, and the demands of day-to-day race activity. The team environment will also be used to assess how wearable augmentation tools fit into ground-support work linked to electric aviation.

Ground operations

Airspeeder Team New Zealand is one of the national teams in the championship, which is built around close, high-speed racing in three dimensions. The team brings together pilots, engineers, and technology partners as it prepares to compete against other national entrants.

For Exxovantage, the supplier agreement provides a test case in a setting that combines aviation procedures with the pressure of competitive motorsport. For Airspeeder, it extends attention beyond aircraft design and flight performance to the workload carried by the people supporting operations on the ground.

Matt Pearson, founder and chief executive officer of Airspeeder, linked the partnership to the demands placed on crew before each flight.

"Flying-car racing is an extraordinary test of technology, but every flight begins with people on the ground," said Pearson, founder and chief executive officer of Airspeeder.

"EXXOVANTAGE brings a compelling new dimension to Airspeeder Team New Zealand by applying advanced human-performance technology to help our crew operate with the precision, resilience, and confidence this sport demands," Pearson said.

Wearable systems

Exxovantage describes itself as a New Zealand-founded human-augmentation and workplace-technology company. Its work combines occupational exoskeletons with workplace wearables, ergonomic assessment, artificial intelligence, and data analysis for sectors including aviation, defence, manufacturing, logistics, and construction.

According to Exxovantage, its ExxoLift exosuits are intended for workers who spend long periods bending, lifting, and handling materials. The suits weigh 800 grams and are designed to reduce strain and fatigue during physically demanding tasks.

The Airspeeder project sits within a broader push by industrial technology suppliers to bring wearable support systems into workplaces where injury risk and repetitive movement remain persistent concerns. Aviation ground operations, where speed and precision sit alongside manual handling, provide a visible setting for that approach.

Arnaud Daurat, founder and president of Exxovantage, said the partnership reflected a broader view of how new transport systems will be supported.

"The future of mobility will not be built by machines alone. It will be built by skilled people working alongside technologies designed to enhance and protect their capabilities. Airspeeder Team New Zealand gives us an exceptional environment to demonstrate how exoskeleton technology assists high-performance teams in aviation and advanced manufacturing," said Daurat, founder and president of Exxovantage.

Exxovantage operates in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Its systems are intended to support people carrying out repetitive and physically demanding work across several industries.

Airspeeder Team New Zealand said it sees the programme as part of a wider effort to connect New Zealand talent and technology with the development of electric flight.