Uber Air Taxi: Bell Nexus flying car revealed at CES in Las Vegas
An air taxi that will slash commute times from hours to minutes has been revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show. And the futuristic vehicles could be available sooner than you think.
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Flying cars are usually one of the things people think about when asked to imagine what the future of technology may look like.
Now, Bell says they could be a reality within the next few years as the company partners with Uber to deliver the air taxi that could slash commute times from hours to minutes.
Bell, the company formerly known as Bell Helicopter, has launched a hybrid-electric propulsion aircraft called the Bell Nexus which will use six tilting ducted fans to take off and land vertically from a rooftop or launch pad.
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Bell teamed up with Uber last year to develop the product, which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell, said flying vehicles were becoming more necessary amid traffic congestion on the ground.
“As space at the ground level becomes limited, we must solve transportation challenges in the vertical dimension – and that’s where Bell’s on-demand mobility vision takes hold,” he said. “The industry has anticipated the reveal of our air taxi for some time, so Bell is very proud of this moment. We believe the design, taken with our strategic approach to build this infrastructure, will lead to the successful deployment of the Bell Nexus to the world.”
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The 2721-kilogram Bell Nexus comes equipped with a 240-kilometre range, a top speed of 241km/h and expansive windows.
The Bell Nexus is capable of carrying four passengers and a pilot, who would eventually be replaced by autonomous controls.
“This is not a recreational vehicle or a toy,” says Scott Drennan, Bell’s VP of innovation. “The size is both comforting and impressive, and an indication that it will be a real product in the future.”
However, the air taxi has a number of significant hurdles before it gets off the ground.
It has to receive regulatory approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which will no doubt have concerns about how the Bell Nexus would integrate into public airspace. That is why Bell has given an estimated launch date in America of 2025.
Secondly, it needs to convince the public that the vehicle is safe. That may even prove to be the biggest hurdle given its answer to address the current shortage of commercial pilots is to employ “minimally trained” pilots, or “safety officers” as Bell calls them.
Still if any company is to deliver a flying car, Bell is well-placed to do so having rebranded itself last year as a technology company after decades as one of the top manufacturers of commercial and military aircraft.
This journalist travelled to the CES in Las Vegas courtesy of Samsung.
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