In the motorcycling world of 2022, digital displays and rider aids are everywhere. While large OEMs contemplate the next generation of adaptive electronic rider aids to enhance safety on the road, they’re certainly not the only ones that are doing so. Take this 2022 Red Dot Design Concept Award winner from Shanghai X-Idea Industrial Design Company. XCELL is its name, and heightened rider safety powered by hydrogen is its game.
Design concepts exist in a space where
any- and everything is still possible—as long as it can be visualized.
Arguably, that’s why we prisoners of the real world often find ourselves
disappointed by the production versions of highly-regarded concept machines,
once they finally come to fruition. While there’s no telling when or if the XCELL
might pass through the veil and into the real world, it’s definitely the kind
of design that would be difficult for a production vehicle to live up to.
That said, it’s still a magnificent thing
to behold. Its creators envision it as a hydrogen-powered machine, with a range
of approximately 200 kilometers, and a top speed of 200
kilometers per hour. Its only emission would be
water, says X-Idea Industrial Design Company.
XCELL riders could fine-tune the riding triangle to suit their specific
ergonomic needs. The handlebars, footpegs, and saddle are electronically
adjustable, with sport, leisure, and comfort presets to suit various riders and
conditions. X-Idea also envisions an
intelligent active safety system for riders, which involves a wearable device
situated on a rider while they’re operating the vehicle. Rider aids that X-Idea
mentions specifically include night-vision assistance, holographic projection
technology, and blind bend prediction that allows bike and rider to effectively
see around corners while riding.
While it’s unclear when or if this design
might ever see realization in the real world in any form, it’s still an
intriguing design to contemplate. The slight Z-shape of the vehicle pays homage
to what we think of as a motorcycle, while simultaneously resolving itself into
something new.
