A video of a flying motorbike hovering in mid-air in Japan during a demonstration has gone viral on social media.
The viral video of the unveiling, shared by the manufacturer ALI Technologies, shows the flying motorbike named XTURISMO Limited Edition flying in the air while roaring sound can be heard.
It then draws a figure of eight by swirling in the air. It is the first practical hoverbike of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zblqct6bPvQ&t=156s
It operates electrically and has an internal combustion engine that runs on petrol. A fully electric version of this flying bike is expected to be rolled out in 2025. It weighs around 300 kgs and stands 3.7 metres in length and is 2.4 metres wide and 1.5 metres in height.
Its cruising time is between 30 to 40 minutes and it seemingly reaches speeds of nearly 100 kmph.
It is to be noted that the company has been working on the project for quite some time. The booking started in October and will only manufacture 200 bikes will be manufactured. The price has been set at 77.7 million yen.
“We started developing hoverbikes in 2017,” the President and CEO of ALI Technologies Daisuke Katano said as quoted in the report. “It is expected that air mobility will expand in the future, but first of all, it is expected to be used in circuits, mountainous areas, at sea, and in times of disaster, I am happy to introduce it as the first step of the XTURISMO that is being done and as one of the new lifestyles.”