It’s about time someone invented a proper hoverbike.
I’ve been feeling a little disappointed lately. It’s already 2019 and we’re still not driving flying cars and bikes. We’d save so much money on new road infrastructure if we didn’t need roads. And, to a lesser extent, it’d be really awesome. Well, the madmen at French automaker Ludovic Lazareth must share my enthusiasm, because they’ve been developing a special motorcycle that could very well be a dream-come-true for flying vehicle fans.
The Moto Volante appears to be a normal, if somewhat oblong-shaped, motorcycle at first. There’s a secret hidden behind the wheels, however: jets! That’s right, the wheels unfold into four powerful jets with a combined upward thrust of about 529 pounds. According to Lazareth, the Volante can be ridden normally on most commercial roads, but when something blocks your path, traffic gets bad, or you’re just bored, it can quickly change modes and take to the air. Just find a flat surface, give the jets a minute to warm up, and you’re off to the skies.
Testing on the Volante’s flight capabilities is ongoing. There’s a lot of muscle under the hood, but all that metal and plastic means a lot of weight, so Lazareth still needs to find the perfect balance. So far, they’ve managed to successfully maintain a hovering flight of about 3.3 feet off the ground. Small start, but hey, it’s 3.3 more feet off the ground than we had before.
