A Tokyo-based Start-up Launches a $680,000 Hoverbike

What used to be a science-fiction vehicle is now a reality. A Japanese start-up is gearing towards making the hoverbike a reality. What is the price tag? A whopping $680,000.

So, no, this vehicle is not going to replace cars. However, ALI Technologies unveiled its XTurismo Limited Edition. It went on sale last Wednesday, and they have the backing of giants like Mitsubishi and the famed footballer Keisuke Honda.

Do We Really Need a Flying Bike?

The Tokyo-based company, ALI Technologies, showed what looked like a jet ski but with drone-like hover technology and apparatus. The hoverbike can fly up to 40 minutes at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in a single charge.

What the company wants is to manufacture 200 units for its single-rider model. This model weighs 300 kilograms, and the company’s target is to have the units ready by the middle of 2022.

Every bike has a conventional engine, and it depends on four battery-powered motors. The Chief Executive Officer of ALI, Daisuke Katano, said that until today, the only option we have for transportation is to use vehicles on the ground.

What they want is to scale movement in the sky, but not that high. The goal is to offer people a new type of movement. For example, in Tokyo, overcrowding is a problem. Right now, there are 13.5 million residents in the city.

Despite the city’s bustling economy and technology, there seems to be no way to move around. There is not much option in decongesting the city. It is the most populated city in the world.

ALI Technologies is facing a problem. It is not only the financial backing and technology that they have to overcome. Currently, it is illegal in Japan to fly. Only planes can do this.

The goal, for now, is to have rescue teams use the hoverbikes for hard-to-reach areas. For example, people in the fire department can use it to go up a building by the window. They will have little use for ladders in firetrucks. The bike is more reliable and faster than ladder deployment systems.

Similar to the online casino, the hoverbike used to be a science-fiction material or idea. Today, it is no longer a distant dream. There is a prototype that works. They hope to deploy it in the UK, even if the country has similar laws against flying vehicles like this one commercially.

On the other hand, there are venture capitalists that are backing this craft. For example, there is Uber. They have what they call Uber Elevate, and they are focusing on the technology and its deployment. The projection is that the flying automotive industry will be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040.

Currently, the XTrusimo Limited Edition is the world’s first hoverbike. The price tag tells us that the company’s target market is the rich and famous. It is worth about three-quarters of a million dollars, which is a paltry price to pay.

How Did They Do It?

The company has been working on the project since 2017. After four long years, they finally cracked it. People claim that this machine is the next generation of movement or mobility. People can now travel in three-dimensional space.

Right now, the bike is open for bookings despite the deliveries coming in mid-2022. The plan is to get pre-orders, and they will deliver the target 200 units to those who order them now.

The XTurismo is not going to replace the car. Despite it being so promising, many legal hurdles could block it from public use. Those who order it could probably use it in their properties, but certainly not in public areas where they can pose a danger to others. 

The bike has propellers, and it rests on landing skids. The company had a demonstration of its capabilities. They showed how it moved above the ground. They also had a demo at a racetrack to a few people near Mount Fuji.

According to ALI Technologies, there will be a restriction on the vehicle’s use. However, people can use the bike in areas like tracks. While the bike is illegal on city roads, it is possible to be put to use for rescue operations.

If anything, the bike looks like a drone with a jet ski on top of it. During the test, the world’s first flying bike saw the light of day on October 26. It cruised the Fuji Speedway Racing Course Track. The bike is about 3.7 meters long with six propellers.

The propellers are located on both the front and rear of the bike. It floats because there is a rotation motor.

The future of the hoverbike is unknown. ALI Technologies is not the only company that is trying to revolutionize mobility. However, it is the first one to launch something practical and easy to operate.

Other companies, meanwhile, are focusing on passenger cars that can fly. While prototypes are now available, there are still far from public deployment. New safety measures and legislations have to be in place before the public can use them.

 

For now, these flying cars and bikes will be a thing of luxury and novelty. Various governments will have to create new licensing standards before allowing the driving public to use moving equipment in three-dimensional space.