Rictor’s Skyrider X1 is equal parts moped, quadcopter, and fantasy

According to Wikipedia, the first instance of the phrase “post-truth” was written by Steve Teisch in 1992 when referring to political scandals after Watergate. Clearly, ol’ Stevie has never been to CES, where the standards for saying things that are provably true are a little more lenient than in the rest of civil discourse. By the way, a company called Rictor, which manufactures and sells an e-bike, the Rictor K1, is advertising Skyrider X1. A moped-quadcopter which you can use to zoom through the streets one second and through the sky the next. Which, as you all know, is a totally achievable thing for any consumer electronics company to achieve by the promised 2026 launch date.

The Skyrider X1, its theoretical creators claim, is a closed-cabin electric moped that, when things get too busy, will transform into quadcopter. All you have to do is pop out the four arms, each with two blades, and you’ll be able to soar up to a maximum of 200 meters above the ground. Rictor says safety is his top priority, including plenty of redundant systems and, if all else fails, a built-in parachute. In addition, the Skyrider X1 is able to automatically take off and land and can plan its optimal route when in the air. And the company’s website says the X1 SL with a 10.5kWh battery will have a flight time of 25 minutes, while the X1 SX with a 21kWh battery will stay in the air for 40 minutes.

That’s pretty exciting, not to mention the company says it’s aiming to sell the Skyrider X1 for $60,000, well below what you might expect to pay for a moped in this class. You can buy one and use it to speed up your DoorDash deliveries and earn some money in tips. Maybe when the pre-order page opens you can stake that money before you head over to my new venture where I’ll sell you a bridge. Seriously, one of the many bridges in London you’ll own, all to yourself, but you’ll have to arrange shipping and pay for shipping with a third party I haven’t come up with yet.