Back to the Future? Here are 4 hoverbikes you can actually fly in 2022: channel No Time to Die with the Triumph Tiger Bond Edition or splurge US$777,000 on the new XTurismo Limited Edition

Feb 5 , 2022

NFTs, e-learning, mRNA vaccines … 2021 popularised plenty of technologies that sound like they’re straight out of a sci-fi film, but nothing says ‘the future’ like hoverbikes

The DAB Motors Concept-E RS Burberry Edition is high fashion and limited to just 20 units, while the XTurismo Limited Edition is 75kg lighter than the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special

NFTs, e-learning, mRNA vaccines … 2021 popularised a bunch of innovations that sound like something straight out of a sci-fi film. But nothing says “we’re living in the future” like some form of flying personal transport – in this case a hoverbike.

Hovering cars, bikes and boards are not new. Many minds were blown when Marty McFly commandeered a hoverboard in the film Back to the Future II – released in 1989. In the real world, the Dubai Police announced in 2017 they were going to adopt hoverbikes to help them “protect and serve”, alongside the Lamborghini Aventador, Bugatti Veyron and other supercars and superbikes in its extremely well-kitted-out garage.

Here are some of the coolest hoverbikes we’ve selected for you.

1. XTurismo Limited Edition by A.L.I. Technologies

A shot of the XTurismo Overbike. Photo: Handout

If you’re in the market for a hoverbike that can be bought commercially and is available to order today, then there’s this: the XTurismo Limited Edition by Tokyo drone start-up A.L.I. Technologies that costs US$777,000.

The hoverbike debuted at the Fuji Speedway racetrack in Shizuoka prefecture in October 2021. A month later, the company reached an agreement with Yamanashi prefecture, a mountainous, sparsely populated region, for testing of its “social implementation”.

Weighing 300kg, the XTurismo Limited Edition uses carbon fibre-reinforced plastics for its airframe components to reduce weight. By comparison, one of the most popular Harley-Davidson models – the very much terrestrial Street Glide Special – weighs about 375kg.

As for performance, the XTurismo uses four battery-powered motors and an internal combustion engine supplied by Kawasaki Motors, to propel a rider for up to 40 minutes, at a maximum speed of around 100km/h on a single charge. The flight experience is supported by Nvidia’s Jetson AGX Xavier, an AI computer for autonomous machines. The Nvidia Jetson platform has been used for drones and other UAVs because of its low-power and high-performance GPU.

The XTurismo Limited Edition will be available to customers by mid-2022 – although A. L. I Technologies is only making 200 of them, so you’ll need to get in quickly to claim one for yourself.

2. DAB Motors Concept-E RS Burberry Edition

DAB Motors Concept-E RS Burberry edition. Photo: Handout