Japanese Company Unveils Hoverbike Priced At Rs 1.5 Crore, 100 Kph Top Speed
The hoverbike, which has been named 'XTurismo Limited Edition', is equipped with a conventional engine and four battery-powered motors and promises to fly for 40 minutes at up to 100 kph.
If you are a fan of flying, then you'll love this. A.L.I. Technologies, a Japan-based company, has unveiled its vision for the future of transport: a flying motorcycle.
The hoverbike, which has been named 'XTurismo Limited Edition', is equipped with a conventional engine and four battery-powered motors and promises to fly for 40 minutes at up to 100 kph (62 mph), Reuters reported.
A.L.I. Technologies
In a scene straight out of a sci-fi film, the hoverbike was showcased during a demonstration at a racing track in Fuji.
"Until now the choice has been to move on the ground or at scale in the sky. We hope to offer a new method of movement," Chief Executive Daisuke Katano told Reuters.
A.L.I.,
whose backers include industrial heavyweights Mitsubishi Electric and Kyocera, started taking orders for the bike the same day it was unveiled and plans to deliver the limited-edition run of 200 vehicles to customers by the first half of next year. The price is set at $682,000 (Rs 5.1 crore), as per Nikkei Asia.
Japan drone maker's flying motorcycle to hit the skies next year https://t.co/IzzGMoQkfN pic.twitter.com/fX9owlGx4o
¡ª Ken Kobayashi (@KenKobayashi) October 26, 2021
The company demonstrated the bike with a short flight a few metres off the ground at a race track near Mount Fuji.
Katano told Reuters that in the near term its uses will be limited to such sites - and will not be allowed to fly over Japan's packed roads. But the bike could be used by rescue teams to reach difficult to access locations, he said.
Strict regulations in Japan driven by safety concerns have hobbled the growth of sectors like ride-sharing. Pending rule changes could extend the bike's potential applications, Katano said.
A.L.I. Technologies
Funding is flowing to startups from California-based Joby Aviation to Israel's AIR who promise to usher in an era of personal air transportation from jetpacks to flying taxis. HT Aero, a flying car startup backed by Chinese electric vehicle company Xpeng, said last week it has raised over $500 million in its latest funding round, Nikkei Asia reported.
Honda Motor revealed last month that it has been developing a flying car as a part of its 5 trillion yen research and development over the next six years.
