Meet Bell Nexus, the Six-Ducted-Fan Air Taxi Of the Future
The model displayed at CES is the only example built so far, but the company is proceeding on a speedy development and test schedule that should see an operational air vehicle on the nearer end of the next decade.
Since Bell flew its first helicopter in 1943, the company has delivered more than 35,000 helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft. Bell is now combining their deep understanding of vertical flight technology with hybrid-electric power to create a disruptive new VTOL air taxi for everyday use.
Also for safety and affordability reasons, autonomy will play a key role in making the experiment become a widely accepted mode of transportation, he said.
Out of the gate, Nexus will run on a hybrid-electric propulsion system specifically designed for the urban air mobility mission, according to Kyle Heironimus, the innovation engineer in charge of developing the Nexus propulsion system.
The seed could begin to germinate within six or seven years, if all of the regulatory, economic and technological pieces fall into place. The vehicle uses six pivoting ducted fans attached to a fuselage that can carry four passengers and a pilot. Ducts augment the power provided by the fans, reduce noise and promote “approachability” of the aircraft for passengers who might hesitate approaching an aircraft topped with a series of spinning knives, Drennan said.
It is such a complex nut to crack that Bell is coming at urban air mobility from more than just an air vehicle. To create an entire urban mobility “ecosystem,” the company and its partners have identified four avenues of approach: operational, regulatory, manufacturing and technological, Drennan said.
The name "Nexus" is meant as a nod to the various forms of transportation, technologies and regulatory changes that will converge to form what Drennan sees as a continuum of mobility options from light rail to aircraft to the rental scooters found in increasing numbers clogging major cities' sidewalks.
Cities were designed to be three-dimensional spaces that incorporate aircraft, but until now have been limited to terrestrial transportation options, Drennan said.
“Since the first skyscraper was built, cities have been destined to become multi-dimensional, yet we still think, plan and build our mobility solutions in a 2D world,” he said.
“It limits our space, but with the convergence of key technology advancements … small urban aircraft can play a role where the current solution set is not keeping up with our needs.”
“The concept of urban taxi is nothing new to us,” he added.
“We’ve been moving people over urban obstacles for a long time. What is new is the emergence of technologies that enable safe, quiet, efficient, and perhaps most importantly, affordable urban air mobility operations at scale using small, heavily automated electric and hybrid-electric vertical lift aircraft.”
READ MORE > https://www.rotorandwing.com/2019/01/07/
_________________________________________________________________________
Need A Vertical Lift? . . . New Bell Nexus eVTOL An Air Taxi For Everyday Use
PRESS RELEASE: FAIRFAX, Va. (PRWEB) January 07, 2019
The Vertical Flight Society, the world’s leading non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, salutes the unveiling of the Bell Nexus hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft today at CES 2019, the world's largest consumer technology show.
“The unveiling of the Bell Nexus concept highlights that the ‘Electric VTOL Revolution’ is gaining momentum,” said Mike Hirschberg, VFS Executive Director.
Since Bell flew its first helicopter in 1943, the company has delivered more than 35,000 helicopters and tiltrotor aircraft. Bell is now combining their deep understanding of vertical flight technology with hybrid-electric power to create a disruptive new VTOL air taxi for everyday use.
Bell unveiled its Nexus eVTOL air taxi on Jan. 7, 2019.
Bell executive Michael Thacker will give the keynote at the Vertical Flight Society's 6th Annual Electric VTOL Symposium Jan. 30 here in Mesa, AZ. (Bell image)
The Vertical Flight Society will host its 6th Annual Electric VTOL Symposium in Mesa, Arizona, on Jan. 29-31, 2019, where Michael Thacker, Bell’s Executive Vice President of Technology and Innovation will deliver the keynote address on Nexus and the company’s other autonomous and electric VTOL aircraft
This will be the first opportunity for Bell to present its Nexus air taxi to an aerospace audience. The Symposium will be held in conjunction with the 8th Biennial Autonomous VTOL Technical Meeting.
The combined event features more than 100 speakers on the promise, progress and challenges of autonomous and electric VTOL aircraft. More information is available at http://www.vtol.org/eVTOL2019.
