It’s a compact, personal hoverbike that feels like a stolen, mil-spec Black Ops project made. Here’s how the future of personal mobility might look like one day. The hyper-futuristic angular design of The Speeder pulls inspiration from Star Wars and Batman’s garage. For this flight demo, participants were offered earplugs because the Xturismo is incredibly loud. Technologies will have also addressed the issue of noise pollution. The ultimate goal is, of course, to have even regular Joes and Janes fly this on the daily, once regulation in this sense is passed.īy the time this happens, A.L.I. This one could have applications in real-life scenarios, like in emergency situations, offering quick access to locations otherwise unreachable. The idea is that, with the first 200 units sold and delivered, the company will be able to deliver a more affordably priced version. The only model offered so far is in Imperial Red Shine color, but the company says more color options will be added after pre-orders close. Made with plenty of carbon fiber, the hoverbike weighs 300 kg (661 pounds) and can carry just one person for a maximum payload of 100 kg (220.5 pounds). Xturismo is 3.7 meters (146 inches) long, 2.4 meters (94.5 inches) wide, and 1.5 meters (59 inches) tall. Flight time is estimated at 30 to 40 minutes at the maximum speed of 60 mph (100 kph). It has two primary propellers where the wheels would be, and four secondary propellers at each corner, acting as stabilizers. In very simple terms, it’s a motorcycle on top of a drone platform, so a VTOL (vertical take-off and landing aircraft). Xturismo is a hybrid, drawing power from a conventional engine and four electric motors. Since Xturismo is not street legal, and will not be for the immediate future because Japan (or any other country, for that matter) has not yet regulated personal flight vehicles, use will be limited to private property and race tracks. Technologies says deliveries should start in the first quarter of 2022 and that the 200 customers of the limited-edition Limited Edition will be rich people, most likely the supercar owners of today. In other words, the makers of this hoverbike want you to look past the one-and-a-half-minute flight demo to appreciate its future potential.įirst things first, though: the Xturismo is a hoverbike, one that has an entry price point of $680,000. Sure enough, you might think that the rider (pilot?) of this flying motorcycle looks as if he’s about to poop his pants in fear (*a very unprofessional reading of his body language), but Xturismo is important for what it could achieve farther down the line, in the foreseeable future. The event itself was nothing spectacular but important nonetheless, in that it heralded the new era of personal mobility, according to A.L.I.
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