At the CES tech trade show in Las Vegas, Bell Helicopter has revealed its full-scale vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) air taxi vehicle.

The air taxi, named Bell Nexus, is powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system and features Bell’s ‘powered lift’ concept, incorporating six tilting ducted fans.

Bell’s mobility vision

Mitch Snyder, president and CEO, Bell, said: “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.

“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.”

Bell Nexus: Partners

Bell, Safran, EPS, Thales, Moog and Garmin are all collaborating on Bell’s VTOL aircraft and on-demand mobility solutions. Bell will lead the design, development and production of the VTOL systems; Safran will provide the hybrid propulsion and drive systems; EPS will provide the energy storage systems; Thales will provide the Flight Control Computer (FCC) hardware and software; Moog will develop the flight control actuation systems; and Garmin will integrate the avionics and the vehicle management computer (VMC).

The interior of the Bell Nexus

As well as debuting its Bell Nexus, Bell is also using CES to showcase its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) and its Future Flight Controls simulator.

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