Japan startup funded by soccer player Keisuke Honda is hoping to persuade wealthy people to trade in their Ferrari for a 77.7 million yen ($680,000) hoverbike that went on sale on Tuesday.
The “XTurismo Limited Edition” from Tokyo-based drone firm A.L.I. Technologies have a conventional engine and four battery-powered motors. It promises to fly for 40 minutes at speeds up to 100 kph (62 mph).
“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 motorcycle-like body sits above propellers on the black and red hoverbike. When the machine is motionless, it rests on landing skids.
Mitsubishi Electric and Kyocera, among the startup’s sponsors, displayed the bike with a short fly a few meters above the earth at a race circuit near Mount Fuji.
According to Katano, its applications will confine to such areas soon. Japan startup’s hoverbike will not be permitted to fly over Japan’s congested roadways. Rescue squads, on the other hand, may utilize the bike to reach difficult-to-reach regions, he claimed.
In Japan, strict rules prompted by safety concerns have stifled the expansion of sectors such as ride-sharing. According to Katano, pending rule revisions could also broaden the bike’s possible applications.
Startups ranging from Joby Aviation in California to AIR in Israel are receiving funding to usher in a new era of personal air transportation, from jetpacks to flying taxis.
A.L.I. Technologies’ commercial success includes engine maker Kawasaki Heavy as a supplier. It would also help the Japanese maintain its industrial edge in the face of a generational transition toward new technology like autonomous and electric vehicles.