You Think Your Electric SUV is a Glimpse of the Future? That's So Cute…
Image Credit: Kuickwheel.
We tend to think that the electric revolution is all about saving the polar bears, making the cars silent and capable of working as a backup battery for our houses. And that's all great. But there's so much more to electric motors and batteries - they can power airplanes; combined with solar panels, they can help swanky catamarans cross the oceans. I see brilliant ideas every day, from mundane delivery vans to cute city runarounds. And every time I dare to think I'd seen it all, along comes something that makes me question if someone slipped something funny into my morning coffee.
How about a flying motorcycle? And no, I don't mean one that gets some serious air off a jump. I mean a literal, honest-to-goodness, take-off-and-fly motorcycle that you can, apparently, just go ahead and buy. My inner skeptic and my inner ten-year-old are having a very loud argument right now, and it's a fabulous ruckus.
Image Credit: Kuickwheel.
Meet the Kuickwheel Skyrider X6. It hails from China (Where else?), a place currently buzzing with more electric vehicle innovation than a beehive on a sugar high. For the very reasonable, not-at-all-bonkers price of about $69,000, you can pre-order this contraption. And what a contraption it is. The designers call it a "tilting three-wheeled amphibious flying motorcycle." Bit of a mouthful, that. It sounds more like a description of a very confused platypus. And why "amphibious" if there's no mention of it being used as a boat? I'm lost…
On the ground, it's an electric reverse-trike – two wheels at the front, one at the back. It's a sensible, stable layout. It promises a top speed of about 43 miles per hour and a very respectable range of up to 124 miles on a single charge. It's practical - you could commute on this thing. You could probably pop to the shops, provided you have a place to park a small drone fighter. It's all very normal.
Image Credit: Kuickwheel.
And then you decide traffic is for other people. This is where the Skyrider X6 performs its party trick. With its six-axis, six-rotor propulsion system, this little trike unfolds and transforms into a personal vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) machine. Suddenly, you're not just a rider; you're a pilot. It's the ultimate "Beam me up, Scotty" moment, except you're Scotty, and the beam is a set of whirring electric rotors.
Once airborne, you can zip along at up to 45 miles per hour. But before you start planning your cross-country aerial tour, let's talk about the battery. The 10.5 kWh pack that gives you all that range on the ground will only keep you aloft for about 20 minutes. So, your flight from downtown to the suburbs isn't a leisurely cruise; it's more of a strategic hop. Kuickwheel says a trip in Shanghai that takes 90 minutes by car could take just 15 by air. See? Strategic.
Image Credit: Kuickwheel.
Charging is refreshingly simple. It uses a standard automotive DC fast charger, going from empty to full in about an hour. That's just enough time to grab a sandwich and explain to a crowd of bewildered onlookers that, yes, your motorcycle does, in fact, fly. This is your life now.
I can hear the sensible part of my brain screaming, "But is it safe?!" and that's a fair question. The body of the X6 is a svelte mix of carbon fiber and aviation-grade aluminum to keep it light. For flight, it has automated takeoff, landing, and route planning. For the brave, there's even a manual joystick. The systems are redundant, meaning if one of the six motors decides to take an unscheduled break, the others will soldier on. And for that worst-case, "Oh dear, this isn't going as planned" moment, there's a ballistic parachute that deploys automatically. Phew.
Image Credit: Kuickwheel.
To my surprise, Kuickwheel isn't just throwing this out there on a whim. They also showed off an earlier model, the Skyrider X1, which comes in two flavors. The standard X1 SL has a similar battery to the X6 and offers 25 minutes of flight. The beefier X1 SX packs a 21 kWh battery, pushing flight time to a more generous 40 minutes. They're clearly serious about this whole personal flight thing.
Of course, owning one isn't just about having $69,000 lying around. There's the small matter of regulations. In China, low-altitude airspace isn't quite open for business yet, and you'll need a light sport aircraft license, which costs about another $7,000 to acquire. In the U.S., the rules are still being written, but you can bet the FAA will have a thing or two to say. Then, there are the running costs, estimated at around $2,800 to $4,200 annually for maintenance. It's certainly more than a set of new tires.
So, I have a question: Is the Kuickwheel Skyrider X6 the future? Or is it a gimmick? Or… Is it the most gloriously unhinged and brilliant machine I've seen all year? I'm leaning heavily toward the third option. It's a bold, slightly mad, but captivating glimpse into a world where traffic jams shift from highways to our skies. It makes the electric car in my driveway look a little bit boring. And I never thought I'd say that.
