Rolls-Royce has announced that its ‘Spirit of Innovation’ plane is the fastest electric airplane in the world, breaking two records that have now been independently verified. AFI, the World Air Sports Federation that controls and certifies world aeronautical and astronautical documents, has officially verified both records. The record-breaking aircraft is propelled by a 400kW electric motor and packs ‘the most power-dense propulsion battery ever assembled in aerospace’.
Record-breaking aircraft
The aircraft reached a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 kilometers, breaking the previous record by 213.04 km/h (132mph). At the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down experimental aircraft testing site, the aircraft reached 532.1km/h (330 mph) over 15 kilometers, faster than the previous record by 292.8km/h (182 mph).
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the World Air Sports Federation that certifies and controls world aviation and astronautical documents, has verified both records. As part of the government-backed ACCEL project, the aircraft also broke a world speed record with a top speed of 623km/h (387.4mph), making it the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle.
‘Spirit of Innovation’
Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Innovation was developed as part of the brand’s Accelerating the Electrification of Flight project. The project has been funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Innovate UK, and the Aerospace Technology Institute. The plane has a sleek look, with a blue nose and propeller at the front, and room for a single passenger. It also has the brand’s logo.
‘Jet zero’
As Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East stated, ‘The advanced battery technology developed for this program has exciting applications for the Advanced Air Mobility market’. He added, ‘This will help make achieving ‘jet zero’ a reality, and supports our ambitions to develop the technology breakthroughs needed to decarbonize air, land, and sea transportation’.
The United Kingdom recently announced a plan to reduce aviation emissions dubbed ‘Jet Zero’. As part of the program, the nation aims to achieve carbon-free transatlantic flights within a generation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from aviation.
Historic accomplishment
The aircraft is powered by an electric motor that produces 400kW – the equivalent of 535 horsepower. Rolls-Royce, whose aerospace headquarters are located in Derby, said the propulsion battery pack was the most power-dense ever built for a plane – enough to charge 7,500 smartphones.
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