Rolls-Royce has formally announced Spirit of Innovation, an all-electric aircraft that the company claims is the world’s fastest electric vehicle. With a top speed of 555.9 km/h across three kilometers, the Rolls-Royce aircraft becomes the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle, setting three new world records. Continue reading to learn more about Rolls-Royce electric aircraft.
Rolls-all-electric Royce’s aircraft, nicknamed the Spirit of Innovation, just hit a blistering top speed of 387.4 mph during a series of tests at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down testing facility in Wiltshire, England, on November 16. According to the manufacturer, this makes the Spirit of Innovation the world’s fastest electric vehicle.
The British aerospace manufacturer Rolls-Royce claims that one plane has broken three world records for electric flight.
Earlier this month, the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ became the world’s fastest all-electric, battery-powered aircraft, reaching a top speed of 555.9 km/h across a 3 km route at a test facility in the United Kingdom.
The single-seater plane, which only flew for the first time in September, is believed to have set a new world record for the fastest electric vehicle when it reached speeds of 623 km/h during a lengthier 15-kilometer flight, according to Rolls-Royce.
It also set a new record for the fastest climb by an all-electric aircraft, climbing 3,000 meters in 202 seconds, 60 seconds faster than the previous record.
The aircraft clocked up a maximum speed of 623 km/h (387.4 mph) which we believe makes the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle. The ‘Spirit of Innovation’ is one of the parts of the ACCEL project, which stands for ‘Accelerating the Electrification of Flight.’ Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), in collaboration with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK, is funding half of the research.
Warren East, the CEO, Rolls-Royce, said: “Staking the claim for the all-electric world-speed record is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce. I would like to thank our partners and especially Electroflight for their collaboration in achieving this pioneering breakthrough. The advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this program has exciting applications for the Advanced Air Mobility market. Following the world’s focus on the need for action at COP26, this is another milestone that will help make ‘jet zero’ a reality and supports our ambitions to deliver the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonize transport across air, land, and sea.”
Rolls-Royce electric plane battery power
A 400-kilowatt electric motor provides the equivalent power of a 535-horsepower engine to the Spirit of Innovation. 6480 battery cells are also on board, according to Rolls-Royce, making it the “highest power-dense propulsion battery pack ever constructed in aerospace.”
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, “Rolls-Royce’s Revolutionary Spirit of Innovation aircraft is yet more proof of the UK’s enviable credentials when it comes to innovation. This record will show the potential of electric flight and help to unlock the technologies that could make it part of everyday life. The government is proud to back projects like this to leverage the private investment necessary to unlock cleaner, greener aircraft which will allow people to fly as they do now, but in a way that cuts emissions.”
Stjohn Youngman, Managing Director, Electroflight, “We are delighted to have played an integral role in this landmark project. Its success is a fitting tribute to the dedication and innovation of the Electroflight team and our suppliers. Developing the propulsion and battery system, in collaboration with experienced program partners, has resulted in a world-class engineering capability that will lead the way towards the decarbonization of air travel. Our next step is to adopt this pioneering technology so it can be applied across the wider aerospace industry to deliver a more sustainable way to fly.”
While the claim of being the world’s fastest electric vehicle is impressive in and of itself, Rolls-Royce claims that the project also generated data that would aid in the manufacturing of future electric passenger aircraft.
Rolls-Royce said it had submitted data for the flights to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which oversees world records in aviation, and anticipated they would be certified “in the near future.”
Source: robbreport.com
