Hoverbike Makes Its US Debut at Detroit Auto Show - ExtremeTech:
XTURISMO is the latest development out of AERWINS, a Japanese air mobility startup. While the hoverbike's center indeed looks like a street bike, it's surrounded by large fans, lending the vehicle the overall appearance of a massive, rideable drone. The 300-kilogram (661-pound) hoverbike is powered by both an internal combustion engine and a battery, which together lend XTURISMO its 40-kilometer (24.8-mile) cruising range. XTURISMO can zip around at speeds up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour while carrying payloads (AKA drivers) up to 100 kilograms, or 220 pounds.
[...] Though XTURISMO's range and speed are undoubtedly lower than some aspirational hoverbike drivers would hope for, the technology has to start somewhere, and mild freeway speeds aren't a terrible place to start. Of course, none of that matters if you're turned off by XTURISMO's $777,000 price tag...and its lack of availability in the US. Because Japan doesn't consider XTURISMO to be a type of aircraft, special licenses aren't required to drive it there, and Japanese residents can begin buying and driving the hoverbike as soon as they wish.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 22 2022, @01:28AM (3 children)
First, because it's dumb, a flying veg-o-matic, a very loud one
Second, the seat should be a nice recliner... Not some "stick your butt out like your waiting for a..." well, you know
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 22 2022, @01:50AM (2 children)
You can use them in your cyberpunk dystopian film and edit the leafblower noise out.
(Score: 4, Touché) by The Vocal Minority on Thursday September 22 2022, @04:58AM (1 child)
My first though was "Hover bike, cool!". Then I watched the video...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 23 2022, @05:52AM
I muted my speakers, and I could still hear the damn thing! Insane! Modern airliners aren't as loud, and they produce a more pleasant sound when passing overhead