The year is 2050 and nearly 70 percent of the population will be living in urban areas, cities will have outgrown their current transportation systems and the need for urban mobility solutions has never been greater. ..
Fortunately, the transportation industry has reached an inflection point, and many of the world's top minds are working toward solutions for the optimal smart city design. American company Bell Textron remains at the forefront of this pursuit with a clear mission of finding solutions of finding solutions to the infrastructure challenges of tomorrow’s transportation networks recently unveiling their updated design for its Nexus air taxi, with a new “4EX” version.
Using fewer ducted fans and a longer wing than its predecessor, the“4” represents the number of ducted fans, the “E” for electric, and “X” for experimental. The original Nexus design, now referred to by Bell as the “6HX,” utilized six ducted fans and was envisioned as a hybrid-powered aircraft.
With demand growing for inner-city aerial transit, Bell is pivoting toward that mission with the Nexus 4EX. Capable of flying four to five passengers plus a pilot the Nexus 4EX will be able to travel for distances of around 100 km (62 mi) at a time at a cruise speed of 241 km/h (150 mph). For longer flights, Bell is also working on a hybrid-electric variant of the 4EX, which will use a turbo-generator to charge batteries.
Bell is also looking to build an eVTOL offering fully autonomous flight controls and because eVTOL aircraft are so novel Bell is taking the liberty to rethink many aspects of the aircraft’s flight controls, including removing the helicopter’s traditional collective, cyclic and foot pedals.
In terms of a timeline for a Nexus demonstrator vehicle ready by the middle to late 2020's
