Mexican Media Brands
Bell Unveils Flying Taxi
Textron Inc.’s Bell Helicopter unit took the wraps off a full-scale vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) air taxi concept at this week’s CES electronics show in Las Vegas.
#electronics
Share
Textron Inc.’s Bell Helicopter unit took the wraps off a full-scale vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) air taxi concept at this week’s CES electronics show in Las Vegas.
Dubbed the Bell Nexus, the aircraft is powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system with six ducted fans that tilt to horizontal and vertical orientation for takeoff/landing and forward flight.
Bell, which took the lead on the design of the vehicle, is partnering with several tech companies on the project. Safran developed the hybrid propulsion technology—repurposing a gas turbine to operate as a generator—and EPS is providing the energy storage systems.
Garmin will integrate the avionics and the vehicle management computer. Other partners include Thales (flight control computer hardware and software) and Moog (flight control actuation).
Bell says the Nexus can comfortably seat four passengers and a pilot. Flying range is estimated at 150 miles.
The company aims to conduct test flights in early 2020 and launch commercial applications sometime later. Bell also is working with Uber Technologies Inc., which is developing its own flying taxi fleet early next decade.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Cobots: 14 Things You Need to Know
What jobs do cobots do well? How is a cobot programmed? What’s the ROI? We asked these questions and more to four of the leading suppliers of cobots.
-
When Automated Production Turning is the Low-Cost Option
For the right parts, or families of parts, an automated CNC turning cell is simply the least expensive way to produce high-quality parts. Here’s why.
-
On Electric Pickups, Flying Taxis, and Auto Industry Transformation
Ford goes for vertical integration, DENSO and Honeywell take to the skies, how suppliers feel about their customers, how vehicle customers feel about shopping, and insights from a software exec
