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One of the four major means of autolocomotion on Mobius, an ion sled rarely comes in any size larger than a bike; mid-sized and larger sleds are simply too dangerous to operate. The inside of the ionization chamber which propels the sled are four layers of particle plates. Each plate holds condensed ions (positive and negatively charged particles) suspended in a crystalline matrix. The top and bottom layers are called "flatplates" because they resemble just that . . . large flat plates of the ion suspension. The middle layers are comprised of several 1 sq. in. plates lined with magnetic seals that lock the plates onto the flatplates when the engine is turned off. When activated, the plates are held suspended in the middle of the ionization chamber by magnetic fields. The suspended plates and the flatplates are supercharged with energy from a Q-cell when the unit is activated. The suspended plates can be reoriented and the charge regulated so that the plates repel each other in various ways, resulting in flight and propulsion. Because this unit is not reliant on an outside source (such as solid ground or a gravity well) for it to work, it is able to propel the vehicle in any direction and orientation. It can even be flown backwards and upside down, though one would imagine that there would be little need to do so.
Ion sleds are capable of tremendous speed on their own, but some riders who place expediency over personal safety often have their sleds augmented with a standard fusion booster. Ion engines - especially those with booster enhancements - are extremely dangerous and highly unstable due to the difficulty entailed in their handling and the excessive energy required to power them. For this reason, ion sleds have never been available on the mass market. The few companies that produce them only do so by special order and only for customers who can verify that they have undergone extensive traning in their use, maintenence, and safety procedures.
Notable owners of ion sleds over the years have been King Harold Acorn III, bounty hunter Nack The Weasel, and entertainer Taran Enlow.
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