The future of the automotive industry is here it seems as Tokyo-based drone startup A.L.I. Technologies, backed by millionaire soccer player Keisuke Honda and Mitsubishi, looks to target the supercar buyers in the coming years. This they aim to do with a future-forward hoverbike that’s surreal.
According to Chief Executive A.L.I. Technologies, Daisuke Katano, so far we have looked to solve mobility on the ground or in the air – but this hoverbike will bring a new method of movement – targeted for a future where such vehicles will be a common sight.
XTurismo Limited Edition hoverbike
The hoverbike is christened XTurismo Limited Edition, perfectly complementing the cool looks it adorns. The machine has a motorcycle-like upper body and is powered by a conventional engine along with four battery-powered motors. According to the makers, it has an impressive fly time of 40 minutes with a top speed of 62mph.
In the stationary mode, the 300kg XTurismo rests on the skids just like a jet-ski. But when the single-seater machine takes flight – thanks to the six rotors – the sound is too deafening. In fact so loud, the on-lookers at its demonstration at Fuji Speedway in Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture had to resort to earplugs!
The current version can hover 10 feet above the ground, as it looks something other-worldly in the black and red skin. The two big rotors on the front and four small ones on the side give it a flowing contoured shape, reminiscent of a movie-worthy ride for a superhero.
Mind-numbing price tag
A.L.I. Technologies has ambitious goals to produce a limited number of 200 XTurismo’s and the delivery is promised in the first quarter of 2022. The steep price tag of $680,000 is not everybody’s ball game, though the hoverbike is up for pre-order in Japan already.
It should be kept in mind, the hoverbike will be limited to tracks like Fuji Speedway, and don’t expect it to whizz past you on the highway. So, right now, even if you own one of these, it will not be street legal. Will it be a stern competition for flying cars or other innovative methods of transportation proposed for the near future, only time will tell!