The best new transportation we saw at CES 2019

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The best new transportation we saw at CES 2019

Bell Nexus

Mark Matousek/Business Insider

The Bell Nexus.

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  • Bell Helicopter unveiled a verticial-takeoff-and-landing air taxi vehicle, called the Bell Nexus, at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
  • Bell has partnered with Uber to design aircraft for Uber's upcoming flying taxi service.
  • The Bell Nexus has room for five people and a maximum weight capacity of 600 pounds, according to The Verge, which reports that Bell hopes to have the vehicle making flights in a few major cities by the mid-2020s.

While flying cars may present too many hazards to ever be fit for use, flying taxis could arrive in less than five years. Uber has said it intends to launch a flying taxi service by 2023, and one of the partners it has enlisted to design aircraft for the service, Bell Helicopter, unveiled a verticial-takeoff-and-landing air taxi vehicle, called the Bell Nexus, at this year's CES.

Read more: The best car we saw at CES 2019

The Bell Nexus features six "tilting ducted fans" powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system. The vehicle has room for five people and a maximum weight capacity of 600 pounds, according to The Verge, which reports that Bell hopes to have the vehicle making flights in a few major cities by the mid-2020s.

The Bell Nexus was one of the most striking vehicles I saw at CES, and the prospect of flying taxis is more exciting than the possibilities offered by the scooters, autonomous shuttles, and personal aircraft on display at the event.

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What it is: Bell Nexus vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle

Who makes it: Bell Helicopter

Why it's the best: Scooters and autonomous shuttles will have more immediate impacts on the future of transportation, but flying taxis are more exciting.

Where and when you can get it: Bell hopes to have the vehicle flying in major cities by the middle of the next decade, according to The Verge.

How much it will cost: Bell has not indicated how much rides in the vehicle might cost, but Uber has said it plans to make flying taxi rides affordable for "normal people."

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