Screw batteries - I want a 400km/h mag-lev GTR... that transforms into a robot.
Time for Japan to live up to popular culture references
Perhaps those crazy engineers have read this...
... says that the it has "Ceramic double-rotor all-wheel disk drive" Which I interpret to mean that in fact, the drive is electric, with four high-efficientcy "pancake" flat disk motors powering the it (one for each wheel). Indeed, since they are ceramic, they may be super-conducting as well...
... also says that the it produces "200 horsepower at 12,000 RPM" and has a type of V8 growl to the exhaust note. So, It's my belief that it has an internal combustion engine which powers a dynamo, which then sends electrical power to the wheels (much as the new "hybrid"
gas/electric cars do).
Since there is mention of 'shifting gears above 5,000 rpm' I would also assume that there is some sort of gear box between the engine and the dynamo, probably to give the rider more sense of control, as he would be using a system he was already familiar with. If the powertrain were superconducting, the time lag could be much shorter than with modern electrics, and would indeed feel much like a manual gearbox rather than an automatic.
Oh yeah, this be what they referring to...
Kaneda's bike