Actual real-life hoverbike makes US debut at Detroit Auto Show
- Reference: 1663338611
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/09/16/hoverbike/
- Source link:
The concept is best known [1]as the transport of choice for hapless stormtroopers chasing down rebel scum on the forest moon of Endor in a scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi .
It's a motorbike-like vehicle that eschews wheels to glide a meter or so above the ground thanks to the Star Wars universe's mystical " [2]repulsorlift engine" that creates a field of "negative gravity."
[3]
Unfortunately, AERWINS Technologies' "XTURISMO" has no such technology under the hood, instead appearing to scale up a quadcopter-ish design common in unmanned aerial vehicles to be able to lift a human.
[4]
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XTURISMO made its US debut on Thursday and Thad Szott, co-chair of the motor show, was lucky enough to give it a test drive – although it was remotely controlled.
[6]Youtube Video
[7]
"I feel like I'm literally 15 years old and I just got out of Star Wars and jumped on their bike," he told media.
"I mean, it's awesome! Of course, you have a little apprehension, but I was just so amped. I literally had goosebumps and feel like a little kid."
[8]Biden administration to dole out $900m for electric vehicle infrastructure
[9]US, Mexico to align chip and lithium supply chains to amp EV production
[10]California asks people not to charge EVs during heatwave
[11]GM's Cruise revises self-driving software after San Francisco crash
According to [12]the specs , the XTURISMO weighs 300kg with a maximum range of 40km and top speed of 80-100kph. Power is provided by internal combustion with a battery, and the recommended payload is 100kg.
Not that the vehicle is certified for road use. If you were to shell out the cosmic asking price today, you'd only be able to operate it on open fields, wetlands, lakes, deserts, and other such terrain where no one is going to get hurt.
According to [13]Electric VTOL News – who knew there was a dedicated publication for the vertical take-off and landing scene? – the company is working on getting the vehicle licensed for "flying on roads and in the urban air space by 2023."
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The XTURISMO is already on sale in Japan and should come to the US market next year. There are also plans to produce a smaller $50,000 electric model by 2025.
AERWINS is looking to [15]list on the NASDAQ via a merger with a special acquisition company that values it at $600 million.
As for that road certification, we say: good luck. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Speeder_bike
[2] https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Repulsorlift
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YySdlwbTBDhx9Fn4djQkagAAAJI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YySdlwbTBDhx9Fn4djQkagAAAJI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YySdlwbTBDhx9Fn4djQkagAAAJI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUMCjSq8n4U
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YySdlwbTBDhx9Fn4djQkagAAAJI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/15/biden_900m_electric_vehicles/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/14/us_mexico_chips_batteries/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/01/california_ev_heatwave/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/09/01/cruise/
[12] https://aerwins.us/xturismo/
[13] https://evtol.news/ali-technologies-xturismo/
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YySdlwbTBDhx9Fn4djQkagAAAJI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://aerwins.us/news/aerwins-technologies-inc-an-air-mobility-platform-company-announces-signing-of-a-definitive-agreement-for-going-public-via-a-business-combination-with-pono-capital-corp-a-nasdaq-listed-company-t/
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
looks like no harness to keep em in the seat too, a quick jerk and some free burger meat for cannibals
"looks like no harness to keep em in the seat too, a quick jerk and some free burger meat for cannibals"
Well, you should be doing things like while in control of an aircraft; you really need two hands on the controls.
Well, I’m impressed… not
So it goes 80-100 kph, or not very fast. It has a range of 40 km, or half an hour. It weighs 300 kilos and can carry 100 more… hm. I weigh 110 kilos. I suspect that range and/or speed might be reduced. Assuming that it still works. And it has, ahem, Slicing Dicing Spinning Blades of Doom right where people can put things like legs and feet.
I’ll pass.
Re: Well, I’m impressed… not
Payload 100kg, and they are trying to sell it to rich Americans ?
It doesn't even have guns, or cupholders
Re: Well, I’m impressed… not
Well, it looks safer to me than a jet suit made by "Gravity". I saw what looked like a flame-out of one of the mini gas turbines on one of their suits a few years ago.
Fortunately for the pilot, it happened over water at Bournemouth air show as he was coming in to the beach, rather than over land (could have happened at the Farnborough Air show where they also did a flight, and he'd have broken at least one leg.)
Re: Well, I’m impressed… not
If the payload was 200 kilos, users could rig their own safety mesh above the blades. If the range was 400 km instead of 40, it would actually be useful. As it is, it costs almost $1 million, has a pathetic max range and a worse payload. Only an idiot would buy one.
According to Electric VTOL News
Linked to in the article:
"The company's plan is to follow Tesla, sell to effluent customers first"
Does that mean the product is sh*t?
Translation
Weighs 6cwt (3/10th of a ton), range of 25 miles (if you're lucky and/or slow), top speed about 60mph and if you're 16 stone or more in wet clothes (because there aint no canopy) don't apply.
A very inefficient mode of transport albeit a cool-looking one.
What is “internal combustion with batteries “?
Please see title
IIRC there's currently several companies touting hoverbikes around. The Iranian police were testing one a year or two ago.
I'm impressed they managed to make one that looks even less safe than Colin Furze's jury-rigged hoverbike. At least he put a wire mesh over the blades to stop you accidentally dropping anything in, or worse, sticking a limb in there!