See The Hoverbike That Can Fly For Almost An Hour At 60 MPH
The XTURISMO hoverbike is a real-life piece of science fiction.
Remember how all those old sci-fi movies and TV shows said we’d have flying cars right now? Well, it looks like we’re finally taking a step in that direction, with the startup AERWINS Technologies’ XTURISMO hoverbike. The company showed off the futuristic vehicle at last week’s Detroit Auto Show and it definitely looks like something ripped right out of Star Wars or Tom Cruise’s Minority Report.
According to AERWINS Technologies, their hoverbike can fly for up to 40 minutes at speeds up to 62 miles per hour. As you can see in the video, it’s not exactly soaring through the air but it does hover at least a few feet off the ground. If you happen to be in Japan, you can already nab one of these impressive pieces of technology.
If you’re waiting for the XTURISMO hoverbike to release in the US, you’re in luck, because they’re planning on releasing it in 2023. However, you’re going to need to have some cash to spare because the starting price is set at a whopping $777,000. However, the company is looking to release a smaller electric model in 2025 at a much more reasonable (but still pricey for a bike) $50,000.
Of course, there are still plenty of things that need to happen before hoverbikes become the norm. For starters, the XTURISMO was remotely controlled during its demonstration, so it’ll obviously need to be driven when it hits the streets. The biggest obstacle is the fact that the XTURISMO is classified as an electric vertical take-off and landing technology (eVTOL), meaning that it isn’t street legal.
In addition to the above obstacles, the hoverbike doesn’t seem incredibly practical. If it can only go for 40 minutes, that may be enough for short commutes and trips to the grocery store, but it’s not super useful as a daily driver. Of course, the goal could be for the XTURISMO to be more of a fun vehicle than something you use on a daily basis.
With that being said, if you have always wanted to zip through the streets on a hoverbike, then we’re definitely getting closer to that being a reality. Especially when you consider that AERWINS Technologies isn’t the only company putting its focus on flying vehicles. Companies like Aeromobil, Jetpack Aviation, Samson Sky, Jetson, and various others are putting out flying cars and motorcycles with the intention of making them consumer ready.
In fact, Samson Sky announced in July of this year that their flying car the Switchblade passed the Federal Aviation Administration inspection, meaning it could be the first flying car available on the US market. Meanwhile, the AirCar by Klein Vision was certified by air-transport authorities in Slovakia and Aeromobil is working on both a two-seater and four-seater model. In fact, you can even get on the waitlist for Samson Sky’s car, but you’ll have to cough up $2000 to keep your spot within 45 days of their first flight.
We likely won’t be seeing hoverbikes and flying cars taking over our streets anytime soon. But it’s still pretty cool to see these vehicles in action. Who knows, maybe we’ll be zipping around like The Jetsons sooner than we think.
