Rolls Royce Unveils All-Electric Plane Aiming for World Speed Record
Rolls Royce looks to reset record books by exceeding 300 miles-per-hour in its brand new all-electric aircraft.
We typically associate Rolls Royce with making the finest luxury land barges on planet Earth. Typically cars with massive engines and materials fit for the Queen. But the automaker has also been building airplane engines for nearly three decades, so you could say that Rolls has a pretty large footprint in aviation as well. But now, they’re taking the next step by building an entire, all-electric airplane they intend to push past the 300 mile-per-hour mark this coming Spring.
Rolls Royce unveiled their futuristic machine at Gloucestershire Airport, which is also where they announced their plans to go after the world speed record for an electric plane. “The UK has a proud heritage and enviable worldwide reputation for advances in aviation technology,” said Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi. “The electrification of flight has the potential to revolutionize the way we travel and transform aviation for decades to come. Ensuring we can travel worldwide while maintaining a low carbon footprint. Backed by government funding, Rolls-Royce is pushing the boundaries even further, and this new innovation could become the fastest electric plane ever.”
The new plane is part of a Rolls-Royce initiative called ACCEL – short for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight. And it’s a key part of Rolls-Royce’s strategy to champion electrification. The project brings together a host of companies, including electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA and aviation startup Electroflight. This new aircraft will utilize a brand new propulsion system dubbed the ionBird. Which, of course, is being tested separately before it sees duty in the plane.
The plane’s battery pack will be the most power-dense unit ever fitted to an aircraft. It’s designed to provide enough juice to fly over 200 miles on a single charge. The battery supports three high power density axial electric motors, which combine to produce over 500 horsepower. Even better, they spin at a lower RPM than standard propellers, which offers a more stable and quieter ride. The electric powertrain also features an impressive 90% efficiency rating.
Of course, this sort of groundbreaking technology will also trickle down to future Rolls Royce road-going machines. “This is not only an important step towards the world-record attempt but will also help to develop Rolls-Royce’s capabilities. And ensure that we are at the forefront of developing technology that can play a fundamental role in enabling the transition to a low carbon global economy,” said Rob Watson, Director of Rolls-Royce Electrical. So you can bet we’ll be tuning in to see how this new technology pans out in the skies!
Photos: Rolls Royce
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