DFW is known for its sprawling metroplex. DART boasts one of the longest light rail systems in the U.S., while highways and interstates crisscross clusters of suburban cities surrounding the urban core. However, a group of government and business leaders see the future of transportation in the region in the sky.
At the Venture Dallas summit earlier this month, leaders from Bell, Uber and Hillwood sat down to discuss the future of mobility and how that is currently taking shape in the region. From the construction of vertiports to support flying vehicles to the planning of a whole new transportation system, the partnership of companies is hoping to be carrying passengers by 2023.
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“The core challenges that cities have from a macro trend stand point are largely driven by congestion, and we look at the trend line as cities get denser in places, we’re seeing that problem getting worse not better,” said Wyatt Smith, head of business development at Uber Elevate. “Really going to the air opens up the bandwidth, and we see that as a supplement to our existing services.”
As the group was forming, North Texas was chosen as a home base for a number of reasons. According to Mike Berry, president of Hillwood Development Company, in addition to the resources the region has in terms of airspace and infrastructure, government and regulatory leaders here have shown a large interest in expanding the industry.
Under the partnership Uber is largely focused on the system platform side, making sure drones and vehicles can be tracked in the airspace and integrate with existing transportation systems. Bell is working on the construction of the Nexus, a flying vehicle that uses fans and ducts for lift; capable of taking off vertically, then horizontally once in flight. Hillwood is largely responsible for the infrastructure side.
“We’re building a whole new industry,” Berry said. “In my opinion we have a way to take a major part of our economy that exists today, a transportation and technology-based economy in North Texas and we have a chance to take it to the next generation.”
Vertiports (think heliport, but for a new generation of vehicles) have already been constructed at the Frisco Center and near Reunion Tower in Downtown Dallas. In addition, construction and testing are underway at the Fort Worth Alliance airport, where the companies are working with regulators at the FAA and local governments.
"We’re building a whole new industry."
Smith said some of the constraints to the new technology include strict regulation, a lack of infrastructure and airspace, and expense. While development of the Nexus continues, testing of the ports and connection to other infrastructure is being tested with helicopters. However, Smith said those will eventually be phased out due to the noise and cost of operation.
Once in flight, the Nexus will carry four passengers, along with a pilot. Eventually, the companies hope to carry five passengers as the pilot is phased out with autonomous technology.
“We're urban enough to create all of the right urban environment that Bell and Uber will need to innovate and perfect the first iteration, but it's suburban enough that we can speed to market,” Berry said.
Berry added that the 2023 timeline is only feasible if companies, governments and regulators work together. Currently, the project involves the FAA, TxDOT and the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
In addition, he said that this technology has the potential to change the landscape of urban areas.
“You’re no longer thinking about just building ground-up transit stations, you’re thinking about building around a vertical, multimodal station,” Berry said. “We have to think through the whole evolution of that.”
