A former Merrill Lynch derivatives trader with a passion for Star Wars is preparing to take his flying motorbike startup public in Japan.
Tokyo-based A.L.I. Technologies Inc. was founded by Shuhei Komatsu as a drone maker in 2016 before moving on to more ambitious ventures, opening sales of its XTurismo Limited Edition hoverbike in October. The ?77.7 million single-person transporter can hit a max speed of 80 kilometers per hour and travel up to 40 minutes per charge, according to the company. The bike has so far largely figured as a curio at public events such as a recent baseball game, but A.L.I. Technologies President Daisuke Katano says there¡¯s strong interest in it from Middle Eastern nations.
¡°The need for these bikes will be higher in places with desert or other difficult terrain,¡± Katano said in an interview. ¡°The vehicle will enable people to travel where roads are bad and inaccessible to cars, as well as across bodies of water.¡±
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