Bell
Bell Textron said Tuesday its Bell Nexus Air Taxi under development will be on display in the new Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building “FUTURES” exhibit, coming this fall.
The Nexus Air Taxi made its public debut at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 in Las Vegas, and is Bell’s futuristic electric vertical take-off and landing concept vehicle designed to move people, goods and data and revolutionize mobility.
"The pursuit of electrically powered aircraft derives from Bell’s commitment to greener technology and the production and implementation of sustainable vehicles and operations," Bell said. "The development of the Nexus was one of Bell’s first initiatives in its pursuit of environmentally friendly vertical lift solutions, and was designed to imagine a global standard for eVTOL aircraft capable of transporting passengers and goods with a low carbon footprint."
“The Bell team is paving the way for future electric-powered vehicles and greener technology to flourish,” Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell, said in a release. “We have a rich history of partnership with the Smithsonian Institute, with our various legacy aviation and aerospace products on display throughout the years, and I’m excited that the Bell Nexus will be part of the new FUTURES exhibit.”
"The Nexus exhibition will include digital display monitors that allow visitors to explore the vehicle’s technology and its real-world applications to serve civilian, humanitarian and a variety of other missions," Bell said.
"Visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in Bell’s full history of flight while understanding how Bell will strive to shape advanced air mobility through the Nexus concept vehicle and future innovations in aviation."
The FUTURES exhibit will also showcase another Bell innovation, the Bell Rocket Belt, "widely renowned as the world’s first jet pack," Bell said. "This marks another significant addition to the Smithsonian’s display of historic breakthrough Bell technologies. Today, its National Air and Space Museum also holds the Bell X-1 plane, first aircraft to break the sound barrier, and the Bell 47B, first helicopter to receive civil certification."
“Since opening in 1881, the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building has introduced visitors to big ideas that have changed the world,” Rachel Goslins, director of AIB, said in the release. “We’re thrilled to be able to debut the Nexus in the very building where Americans first encountered early automobiles, famous steam engines, the Apollo 11 lunar capsule and the Spirit of St. Louis.”
Celebrating the Smithsonian’s 175th anniversary, “FUTURES” will temporarily reopen AIB, the first U.S. National Museum, for the first time in nearly two decades, Bell said.
“FUTURES” is a museum experience that will "fuse art, technology, design, and history to invite visitors to imagine not just one future, but many possible futures on the horizon," Bell said. Built with the proceeds from the first great American World’s Fair, the AIB is a landmark on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.