After a couple of video teases, Lexus have finally revealed the hoverboard and its first ride, and I can honestly say my heart is broken. I wanted to believe. Against all the forum and social media naysayers, I stood strong. I stood up for the Lexus brand and said that no arm of the mighty Toyota branch would ever play games with my heart like that. After all, it’s 2015 and Doc Brown and Marty McFly promised us a real live hoverboard. And in Lexus, I believed.
Well, the technology behind the Lexus hoverboard is still pretty neat but it’s not what we were expecting or hoping for. We were hoping for what the entire world thinks of when they think of hoverboard. You know, a board that actually hovers over any surface, whether it’s on the boardwalk, the pavement on the way to school or work, or at the skatepark (any skatepark).
Check out the Lexus hoverboard in action and read the press release from Lexus to find out about the hoverboard full of superconducters (immersed in liquid nitrogen) that only works on a Lexus park made out of permanent magnets. Sure, it’s neat and we look forward to seeing more magnetic technology in automobile suspension, but man, give us the hoverboard we can actually use.
Lexus Hoverboard Ride Revealed
New Film for the Latest Amazing in Motion Campaign Shows Final Testing in Barcelona
August 04, 2015
TOKYO, August 05, 2015 — Following the unveiling of the Lexus Hoverboard in June, the luxury automotive company is completing a full and final reveal of the project concluding a successful testing phase which took place in Cubelles, Barcelona.
Mark Templin, Executive Vice President at Lexus International said: “Embarking on this project, we set out to push the boundaries of technology, design and innovation to make the impossible possible. With this project we call ‘SLIDE’, we collaborated with partners who share our passion for creating enjoyment out of motion. Even through combining our technology and expertise, we discovered making a hoverboard isn’t an easy process. We’ve experienced the highs and lows and have overcome a few challenges, but through mutual determination we have created a demonstration of our philosophy in design and technology to create Amazing in Motion.”
The Lexus Hoverboard project began 18 months ago through a collaboration with a team of scientists from IFW Dresden and evico GmbH, who specialize in magnetic levitation technology. Following extensive testing with pro skateboarder and hoverboard test rider Ross McGouran, in Dresden, Germany, the team were determined to push the hoverboard to its limits and conduct further tests within dynamic surroundings.
“I’ve spent 20 years skateboarding, but without friction it feels like I’ve had to learn a whole new skill, particularly in the stance and balance in order to ride the hoverboard. It’s a whole new experience,” said pro skateboarder and hoverboard test rider Ross McGouran.
Since the Lexus Hoverboard was unveiled in June, testing has been carried out in a specially constructed hoverpark, combining elements from skate culture with technology within its architecture. Up to 200 meters of magnetic track was transported to Barcelona from the Dresden facility to lay beneath the hoverpark surface in order to create the dynamic test, offering Lexus the opportunity to demonstrate tricks no skateboard could ever perform, like travelling across water. Lexus has captured the final ride footage and released it as a film led by award winning director Henry-Alex Rubin.
The Lexus Hoverboard technology features two “cryostats”—reservoirs in which superconducting material is kept at -197 degrees through immersion in liquid nitrogen. The board is then placed above a track that contains permanent magnets. Dr. Oliver de Haas, evico CEO, said: “The magnetic field from the track is effectively ‘frozen’ into the superconductors in the board, maintaining the distance between the board and the track—essentially keeping the board hovering. This force is strong enough to allow the rider to stand and even jump on the board.”
The Lexus Hoverboard film called “SLIDE” features the high performance GS F and is part of the fourth project in the Lexus “Amazing in Motion” campaign series that showcases creativity and innovation from the Lexus brand.
