With the press of a couple of buttons, rotors fold outwards from the top of your enclosed motorbike cabin. They start whirring – then, a moment later, you lift off.
It is the kind of vision that has been excitedly imagined by sci-fi writers and eccentric inventors for at least a hundred years. Now, the Skyrider X1 is the latest concept aimed at turning it into reality.
Unveiled by Rictor, part of Chinese e-scooter specialist Kuickwheel, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this year, the X1 is designed for “a near future where personal flight is no longer an unreachable dream but an accessible reality”.
Combining motorcycle and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) technology, Rictor claims the electric vehicle will offer users “the ultimate freedom in driving experiences” – but will it ever take off? We asked some experts to find out.
Careful control
According to Rictor’s announcement during CES in January, the X1 features a four-axis, eight-propeller system for stability, with a body made of carbon fibre composites and aviation-grade aluminium.
The company claims it will have a top speed of 100km/h and a flight duration of up to 40 minutes, suggesting a maximum range of up to 66.6km. That distance is likely to be shorter, however, says Dr Mike Bromfield, associate professor in aerospace at the University of Birmingham, because of the need for excess charge in the onboard battery.
“If you're using this in the commuting environment you need a minimum of 10 minutes for reserve,” says Bromfield. “That's the sort of figure being quoted at the moment for electric aircraft.” If there are no charging facilities at your destination, that would turn a 40-minute one-way commute into two 15-minute journeys.
The multicopter configuration presents another challenge, Bromfield says: the lack of glide capability. “In the event of a partial or full propulsion system failure, there's only one direction to go, and that is vertically downwards,” he says. “In an urban area, that presents a potential risk to the occupants as well as the public on the ground.”
Rictor says the vehicle will be able to fly even if an engine fails. In the worst-case scenario, it will have an integrated emergency parachute, similar to existing small aircraft today.
The flying motorbike will use automatic route planning to identify optimal flight paths, the company says, with automated take-off and landing. Even still, fleets of Skyriders being used by private motorists sounds like it could quickly lead to congested airspace.
“The skies are going to get busier, even in urban environments, with the use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) now for all sorts of things – for surveillance, medical deliveries. We're going to have lots of things happening in city environments that have to be really, really carefully controlled,” says Bromfield.
“There has to be proper adequate planning, management and monitoring. The idea of ad hoc flights from [say] Battersea Power Station to Hyde Park for a day trip are not feasible.”
The announcement also mentions manual control options, including a joystick, “for pilots who prefer hands-on operation”. A lot of work would be needed on automation and stabilisation to make that safe, Bromfield says.
Flight would “need to be autonomous”, adds Dr Nadjim Horri, lecturer in aerospace control at the University of Leicester. “I do not think that trusting the passenger to fly the drone would be an option.”
Ultimate freedom?
Although the freedom envisioned in the scenario at the start of the article is enticing, it ignores one key point – motorbikes can already avoid most traffic. That raises the question of who the X1 is aimed at, suggests Bromfield. Urgent blood deliveries might be one application, he says.
There are over 1,000 eVTOL projects worldwide, he adds, 10% of which are personal air vehicles. None of them have been commercially successful so far. Rictor’s main development challenge, Bromfield says, will be sourcing the experience and skills needed for the whole package, including navigation, automation and flight control.
The vehicle is also described as “amphibious”, although it seems the company is referring to land and air. It has a potential price tag of $60,000, according to Engadget.
Many problems will need to be solved to reach that point. Then again, many things that once seemed impossible are now commonplace – maybe it is nice to dream for a while.
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.