Air taxis could fly people across major cities by ‘mid-2020s’
Hour-and-a-half drive could be shortened to 8 mins
An Urban Air Taxi by Bell Nexus debuted at the this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
In traffic-clogged cities such as Houston, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles, it can take hours to drive a few miles during rush hour.
For years, inventors have been working toward a potential solution: vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Though some know them as “flying cars,” early prototypes more closely resemble a hybrid version of an airplane and a helicopter with a hint of drone, rather than a conventional automobile.
Among the most highly anticipated examples of an air Air taxis would be able to travel 150 to 200 mph.
taxi is the Bell Nexus, an “urban air mobility vehicle” that debuted at this year’s CES technology show in Las Vegas. Bell Helicopter, which created the prototype, said the idea behind the technology is simple: Instead of idling in traffic, a commuter could order a flying
taxi to shuttle them across town from above, bypassing the congestion below.
Uber, which has unofficially partnered with Bell Nexus, has said its fleet of air taxis would be able to travel 150 to 200 mph, allowing the company to whisk passengers across a sprawling metropolis such as Los Angeles in minutes instead of hours.
“It won’t be like an Uber that you order and it comes to your driveway,” said Robert Hastings, Bell’s executive vice president of strategic communications, noting that the company instead foresees using an app to figure out the location of the closest skyport, where you’ll rendezvous with your aircraft. “We believe this will be for short hops across a metropolitan area.”
“Getting to the Dallas/Fort Worth airport from the suburbs can be an hour-and-a-half drive, and we think these aircraft can make the same trip in eight minutes,” he added.
Hastings said the company believes the Bell Nexus is more than just a commuter aircraft. When cargo needs to be moved from a Walmart on “Extraordinary intervention” for PG&E may be needed from state lawmakers and regulators to help it avoid bankruptcy.