Flying taxis may become reality within six years, aviation giant Bell has claimed, as it showed off its vertical take-off and landing “flying car” concept in partnership with Uber Elevate.
The hybrid Nexus is propelled by six fans and would carry four passengers and a pilot. In theory it has a top speed of 150 mph and a 150-mile range, but it is yet to be tested in the air.
Scott Drennan, the helicopter firm’s vice president of innovation, told a panel discussion at the CES tech show in Las Vegas that the service could be in use as early as 2025. However, a number of challenges need to be overcome before the technology takes off, such as making lighter batteries.
Bell has, however, struck a deal with Nasa to carry out its first urban tests in the US, delivering blood, organs and critical medical supplies.
The audience heard how cities had reached “thresholds and limits with the current transportation system” and that a “vertical dimension” was the only way to increase capacity.
Bell’s project needs to overcome legislative and safety hurdles, as well as the problem of how to incorporate a potentially large number of flying cars into existing city infrastructure.
Mr Drennan said he believed vertical take-off vehicles could be safer than driverless cars because all the aircraft would be flown by professional pilots and would not encounter the problem of unpredictable road users.
Then there was the advantage that there are no obstacles in the air such as pedestrians, he added.
“The interaction between those unmanned assets and pilots in the air should be cleaner,” he said.
The executive also claimed the Nexus would be quieter than helicopters because the rotors are smaller and have protection around the blades to further dampen sound.
Uber’s Air subsidiary also plans to “enable shared, multi-modal air transportation between suburbs, cities, and ultimately within cities” in 2023 in smaller, all-electric transporters, with “affordable” fares.
- Mark Blunden flew as a guest of Virgin Atlantic, which flies daily from Gatwick to Las Vegas. virginatlantic.com
