The world’s first flying bike made its debut at the NAIAS in Detroit this week from Japan startup Komatsu and Delaware-based AERWINS Technologies. The hoverbike is being called the land speeder of the Dark Side by company founder Shuhei Komatsu.
“I wanted to make something from the movie real,” Komatsu said. “It’s a land speeder for the Dark Side.”
This is the world's first flying bike. The XTURISMO hoverbike is capable of flying for 40 minutes and can reach speeds of up to 62 mph pic.twitter.com/ZPZSHJsmZm
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 16, 2022
“It’s very exciting for us to be here in Detroit,” said Komatsu, AERWINS Technologies’ founder, director, chairman and chief executive officer. “Detroit is the home of the mobility industry.”
World's first flying bike named XTURISMO hoverbike, made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in the US on Thursday. Watch for further details.#XTURISMO #DetroitAutoShow2022 #FlyingBike #news pic.twitter.com/s30jhBURcC
— Newzera (@newzeraapp) September 17, 2022
XTURISMO Specifications and Price
The XTURISMO is being sold in Japan as “Japan doesn’t classify the vehicle as an aircraft and doesn’t require a license to pilot it,” Komatsu added.
- Power Source: Internal Combustion + Battery (Autonomous Control via Electric Control System)
- Weight: 300 kg
- Length: 3.7m
- Overall width: 2.4m
- Overall height: 1.5m
- Cruising Range: Max 40 Km
- Max. Speed: 80〜100 km
- Payload: 〜100 kg *recommend
The XTURISMO is a hybrid electric-internal combustion engine-powered vehicle. It is currently not street legal in the US which is why it was demoed at the Coleman A. Young International Airport. Autoevolution reports that it uses a Kawasaki hybrid engine that allows the 661 lb VTOL bike to reach up to 60 mph and lasts for up to 40 minutes. Perhaps a short quick trip to the corner convenience store is in order or maybe a tour of your property’s perimeter. AERWINS plans to deliver 200 limited-edition bikes in 2022 but deep pockets will be needed to order one as it has a price tag of $777K. Customers have the option of getting it in red, blue, or black. The company is hoping to get the price to a more palatable price of $50,000 by 2025 and is also planning a smaller version for the US in 2023.
Source: The Detroit News