Bell Textron has announced that the Bell Nexus Air Taxi will be on display in the new Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building (AIB) ‘Futures’ exhibit coming to Washington DC this autumn. The Bell Nexus Air Taxi, which made its public debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2019, is Bell's futuristic eVTOL concept vehicle designed to move people, goods or data to revolutionise 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. 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,” says Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell. “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. 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 iconic Bell innovation, the Bell Rocket Belt, widely renowned as the world's first jet pack. 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, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, and the Bell 47B, the 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,” comments Rachel Goslins, director of AIB. “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. Part-exhibition, part-festival, Futures is a new 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. Built with the proceeds from the first great American World's Fair, the AIB is an architectural landmark on the National Mall in Washington, DC dubbed ‘Palace of Wonders’ and ‘Mother of Museums’, AIB introduced millions of visitors to wonders such as Edison's lightbulb, the first telephone and early moon rocks before closing to the public in 2004. Futures is the milestone first step in the long-term plan to renovate and permanently reopen the historic space.

The exhibit debuts this November and will be free and open through July 2022.