You can ride like a Jedi on this 'Star Wars'-inspired hoverbike that just went on sale for $550,000. See it in action.

AERWINS / ALI Technologies
The "Star Wars"-inspired vehicle has a hefty price tag, though the company hopes it can lower the cost over the next few years.
  • A Tokyo-based company just began delivering its futuristic hoverbikes, called XTurismo.
  • The bikes are on sale for more than $500,000 and were inspired by the "Star Wars" films. 
  • The company says it hopes to bring the price of its hoverbike down over the next few years. Here's the bike in action.
A Tokyo-based company, ALI Technologies, is helping make sci-fi movies a reality with its new hoverbike.
AERWINS Technologies XTURISMO hoverbike
ALI Technologies is a subsidiary of AERWINS. It was started by a former Merrill Lynch trader.

Source: AERWINS, New York Post

The luxury bike, called the XTurismo, was inspired by "Star Wars."
endor moon luke leia landspeeder rebels
Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker on a speeder bike. "I wanted to make something from the movie real ... it's a land speeder for the Dark Side," said CEO Shuhei Komatsu.

Source: StarWars.com, Detroit News

The company has been working on the technology behind the bike since 2017. It has a gas-electric hybrid engine and weighs 660 pounds.
ALI Technologies XTurismo
The hoverbikes are roughly 12 ft long and made of carbon fiber.

Source: AERWINS

The XTURISMO can go up to 60 mph, according to the company — but it can only hover for about 40 minutes without needing to land.
XTURISMO
The bike has an internal combustion engine and four electric motors.

Source: Reuters, AERWINS 

See it in action:
XTURISMO flight test
A XTurismo flight test.
It comes with a hefty price tag: The hoverbike will set you back $550,000.
XTURISMO in action
Komatsu said he hopes to get the price down to $50,000 for an electric hoverbike by 2025.

Source: Detroit News, Reuters

The company has said it aims to mass-produce the hoverbikes for disaster response and search and rescue.
AERWINS XTURISMO ALI Technologies
ALI Technologies has marketed the bike as a tool for rescue workers but also as a showpiece for public entertainment.

Source: Reuters

But for now, it can't be flown freely in the US or Japan, where laws prohibit use over roads.
XTURISMO flying over water
Japan doesn't require a license to pilot the bike, and the company is hoping the US will make a similar allowance.

Source: Detroit News, New York Post, EVTOL

The company delivered its first hoverbike in December 2022 to Japanese businessman Yoshiyuki Aikawa. "I was told that it cannot be used on public roads yet, so I would like to practice flying it on private property first, even over the ocean in Shonan," he said in a press release.
Yoshiyuki Aikawa on the XTURISMO hoverbike
Yoshiyuki Aikawa on the XTurismo hoverbike. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that it was still the only sale of the pricey bike made. The company told Insider it could not disclose how many bikes it has sold so far.

Source: AERWINS, Reuters 

The company behind the XTurismo hoverbike was listed on the NASDAQ for public trading on February 6. Investors may not be wowed by the bike, as the company's stock has fallen in the days since its debut.
AERWINS / ALI Technologies
The company trades under the ticker AWIN.

Source: Barron's 

 

While mass adoption of affordable flying bikes may be a distant reality, XTurismo shows that the technology is possible, though it remains to be seen whether there is adequate demand.
XTURISMO promotional video
XTurismo promotional video.
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