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 referencing political scandals post-Watergate. Clearly, ol’ Stevie never visited CES, where the standards for saying things that are provably true are slightly laxer than in the rest of civil discourse. Apropos of nothing, a company called Rictor, which makes and sells one e-bike, the Rictor K1, is advertising the Skyrider X1. A moped-cum-quadcopter that you can use to zoom through the streets one second, and through the skies another. Which, as you all know, is a totally achievable thing for any consumer electronics company to be able to achieve by its promised launch date of 2026.

The Skyrider X1, its theoretical makers claim, is an electric moped with an enclosed cabin that, when things get too congested, will transform into a quadcopter. All you’ll need to do is pop out the four arms, each with two fanblades, and you’ll be able to ascend up to a maximum of 200 meters above the ground. Rictor says safety is its top priority, including plenty of redundant systems and, should all else fail, a built-in parachute. Plus, the Skyrider X1 is capable of automatically taking off and landing, and can plan its optimal route when it’s up in the air. And on the company’s website, it says the X1 SL, with a 10.5kWh battery will have a flight time of 25 minutes, while the X1 SX, with its 21kWh battery, will stay in the air for 40 minutes.

That’s pretty exciting, not to mention the company says that it’s aiming to sell the Skyrider X1 for $60,000, far below what you might expect to pay for a mop-copter in this class. You could buy one and use it to speed up your DoorDash deliveries and earn some sweet money in tips. Perhaps, when the pre-order page opens, you can lay down that cash before heading over to my new venture, where I’ll sell you a bridge. Seriously, one of London’s many bridges, that you’ll own, all to yourself, but you will need to arrange delivery and pay for shipping with a third party I haven’t yet invented.