A partnership focused on the future
Every year, our test tracks welcome partners who imagine the future of mobility and energy. Their creativity, combined with our testing capabilities and infrastructure, transforms bold ideas into tangible achievements. The collaboration with wind fisher fully reflects this pioneering spirit.
We go beyond technology testing: we help visions move forward.
Nous ne faisons pas que tester des technologies : nous aidons les visions à avancer.
Two french companies, one shared drive for Innovation
Both based in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Transpolis and Wind Fisher share a common culture of demanding innovation.
This partnership brings together:
• strong technological ambition,
• scientific and technical rigor,
• and the determination to develop practical solutions in support of the energy transition.
Together, we do more than experiment: we help shape a new, sustainable energy framework with international reach.
Qui est wind fisher ?
Founded in 2021 in Grenoble, wind fisher is an innovative startup developing the very first airborne wind energy systems that harness the Magnus effect to generate electricity. The two co-founders Garrett Smith and Armand Tardella met in 2013 as they were both closely following the evolution of Sky WindPower, a breakthrough Airborne Wind Energy company. Driven by a shared passion for airborne systems and convinced that wind power has yet to reveal its full potential, they spent several years designing disruptive solutions aimed at ushering wind technologies into a new era.
Today, the 11 FTEs of wind fisher gather complementary skills, bringing together expertise in aeronautical engineering, mechanics, control systems, and energy systems. The technology being developed is composed of a lighter-than-air wing tethered to a containerized ground station. The wing flies at high altitude and its rotation is engaged through the tethers, generating a force pulling on the tethers (Magnus effect). This pull is converted into electricity within the ground station. The company is currently conducting a full-scale testing program at the Transpolis site, aimed at validating the system’s performance and architecture.
A word from the president - wind fisher
Soon after our October 2024 fundraising round, I set out to identify a suitable site for flight testing our MAG15 prototype, which was then still in the design phase. Three essential criteria guided this process: access to a moderately windy site, a long straight stretch for conducting towed tests, and a secure environment with a wide perimeter free of housing and third-party risks.
I explored several options, including former air bases such as Lure-Malbouhans, reached out toMichelin regarding the use of their Ladoux test tracks, and surveyed the Matheysine plateau – both by car and on foot. Despite these efforts, no site near Grenoble fully met our requirements.
Thanks to a fortunate coincidence, I met Sylvain Thiercelin during a networking event organized by the Tennerdis competitiveness cluster in January 2025.He briefly introduced me to Transpolis–a facility I had been unaware of until then That same evening, after studying the site using Géoportail maps, the conclusion came naturally: Transpolis was the ideal location for wind fisher.
What followed unfolded very quickly, driven by the warm welcome and strong engagement from the Transpolis team. We presented the MAG15 project to their safety managers, who were not very familiar with aeronautical issues. However, their strong background in vehicle testing and risk management allowed them to quickly assess the compatibility of our flight tests with the day-to-day operations of the Fromenteaux site.
The rest is now well known–particularly through the flight-test videos shared on social media, which clearly demonstrate the success of this collaboration.
Why did You choose Transpolis?
The Transpolis site met exactly the technical and operational criteria we had defined. We were looking for a moderately windy environment, a long straight stretch suitable for towed tests, and a secure perimeter free of housing and any risk to third parties. After reviewing several alternatives, none brought all these conditions together. Discovering Transpolis was an obvious choice. A detailed analysis of the Fromenteaux site quickly confirmed that it offered an ideal configuration for our flight tests, both in terms of available space and operational control.
The advantages of Transpolis
Beyond its infrastructure, Transpolis stands out for the expertise and openness of its teams. From the very first discussions, their constructive approach and strong culture of testing and risk management made it possible to quickly integrate our flight tests–despite their aeronautical nature–into the site’s day-to-day operations.
This adaptability, combined with a fast and pragmatic implementation of safety measures, allowed us to carry out our testing program under optimal conditions. In addition, Transpolis provides a confidential and calm working environment, thanks to a vast and isolated site –perfectly suited to research and development phases involving both ground-based and airborne prototypes.
Finally, the flexibility of both the site and the teams is a major asset. It allows very diverse projects to coexist– across energy, mobility, and motorsports– and makes it possible to conduct innovative and unconventional testing in fully controlled conditions.
Who Is TRANSPOLIS?
Founded in 2011, Transpolis operates a large testing center dedicated to automated, connected, and safe mobility, building on more than 30 years of historical expertise in road infrastructure crash testing.
Today, Transpolis stands out as a unique automotive testing center in Europe, capable of supporting manufacturers, equipment suppliers, and public innovation stakeholders all the way through to the homologation stage. Our expertise covers the entire testing cycle, including development, validation, safety, infrastructure, and use cases.
Beyond our core activities, the center also offers track rental. The site’s 130 hectares are made available to automotive professionals for their own testing programs, training sessions, or demos. From two-wheelers to light vehicles, from heavy-duty trucks to new mobility solutions–and now extending to airborne systems– our grounds provide a secure and adaptable environment for testing the technologies of today and tomorrow
A word from CEO - Transpolis
““The collaboration between Transpolis and wind fisher fully aligns with our ambition to make our region a benchmark hub for the experimentation of tomorrow’s mobility and energy technologies. By hosting the testing of the MAG15 prototype, our site provides a unique evaluation framework designed to support breakthrough innovations from the earliest development phases through to validation in real-world conditions. This partnership highlights Transpolis’s ability to bring together infrastructure, industrial expertise, and innovative players to foster the emergence of concrete solutions in support of the energy transition.””
A shared ambition: safety, performance, and positive Impact
At the heart of this collaboration lies a shared ambition:
to certify user safety, ensure technological reliability, and accurately measure impact.
Through in-depth data analysis and the use of cutting-edge technologies, Transpolis and wind fisher place safety, performance, and positive environmental impact at the core of their approach.
Why this partnership?
A unique testing ground in Europe
Transpolis is ideally located at the crossroads of Europe – in France next to the borders of Switzerland, Germany and Italy– placing major industrial and scientific ecosystems within close reach.
- This unique site in Europe makes it possible to:
- support the development of a one-of-a-kind product,
- mobilize advanced testing infrastructure,
- and carry out in-depth analysis of experimental data.
Our infrastructure enables wind fisher to test its prototype in a realistic, secure, and instrumented environment, under conditions close to real-world operation.
A partnership focused on Innovation and the exploration of new uses
Through its collaboration with wind fisher, Transpolis demonstrates its ability to go off the beaten track. Historically focused on automotive and ground-mobility testing, the platform is now opening up to projects that go beyond traditional frameworks to explore new fields of innovation, particularly in the aerial and energy sectors.
This partnership illustrates Transpolis’ commitment to putting its tools and infrastructure at the service of innovative solution development, in connection with systemic approaches such as CARA Grid, which foster synergies between mobility, energy, and territories.
A lever for local Innovation and the evolution of our practices
This project is fully aligned with a dynamic of local development, supporting an innovative startup from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. By working alongside wind fisher, Transpolis actively contributes to the emergence of breakthrough technologies in its territory.
Moreover, this partnership allows Transpolis to evolve its own uses and processes. The use of new areas of the site –such as open fields or airspace– and adaptation to previously unencountered constraints serve as a powerful driver of internal innovation. These experiments enrich our know-how and strengthen the versatility of our testing facilities.
Finally, this collaboration opens up new economic perspectives. By working with the energy sector, Transpolis anticipates emerging needs linked to technologies such as wind power, hydrogen, or solar energy. In doing so, it optimizes the use of its site while offering local stakeholders a unique testing ground to develop and validate the solutions of tomorrow.
Conclusion
The wind fisher x Transpolis partnership shows how innovation and expertise come together to transform bold ideas into tangible technologies. Thanks to a unique, secure, and adaptable site, wind fisher is able to test its prototype under real-world conditions, while Transpolis explores new use cases and sectors, from energy to aviation.
Together, we demonstrate that daring to experiment and combining expertise is the key to creating sustainable, high-impact solutions.