CHINA DEBUTFOR TH E GYROCAR?

INSPIRED by the 1961 Gyron, a futuristic one-person transporter may start selling by 2020. The two-wheeled vehicle whizzing around a Beijing test track is a mashup of motorcycle, electric car and space capsule, wrapped around the brain of a smartphone. And engineer Zhu Lingyun believes it will be on public roads within two years.

Inspired by a Ford Motor Co concar cept from 1961 that used gyroscopes to stay upright, Zhu built a streamlined version that resembles an escape pod from a science-fiction movie. Beijing Lingyun Intelligent Technology Co plans to build the gymay rocar itself and pick a domestic location for its factory this month, with a goal to start sales in 2020.

“I was told by a potential investor that I have zero chance to make the idea work,” said Zhu, 40, after a test drive of a prototype called the 1703. “But I firmly believe this is the future of urban transportation because it is exquisite, energy-saving and easy to manage. I have to make it.’’

Zhu isn’t the only carmaker trying to capitalise on advances in batteries, electric motors and the gyroscope technology used in iPhones and Segways to track user movements or maintain balance.

San Francisco-based startup Lit Motors developed several prototypes of a two-wheeled electric vehicle (EV), and the New York Times reported in 2016 the company was in talks about a potential acquisition by Apple Inc.

Lit Motors didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. No phone number is listed on its website, and part of its contact page redirects to an Internet pharmacy.

Two-wheeled cars first appeared more than a century ago but never caught on as consumers preferred either the space and stability of traditional cars or the speed and han-