Rolls-Royce: successful maiden flight with a fully electric aircraft

Rolls-Royce has launched the fully electric sports aircraft called the “Sprit of Innovation”, which is powered by a 400 kW electric motor and whose energy comes from what it claims to be the “most powerful battery” ever. built for an airplane. . The company did not provide any further information. Rolls-Royce plans to set a speed record with the electric airplane. According to Rolls-Royce, the “Spirit of Innovation” can fly at over 480 kilometers per hour.

However, during the inaugural 15-minute flight, which began at the Department of Defense British military aircraft test site in Boscombe Town, the aircraft did not reach maximum speed. Rather, it was initially a question of testing general airworthiness and thus making a first step for Rolls-Royce in the decarbonization of air traffic with an electric aircraft. writes Rolls-Royce.

Spirit of innovation

Rolls-Royce launched the ACCEL program in 2019. ACCEL stands for Accelerating the Electrification of Flight, which means promoting the electrification of air traffic. The basis of the single-engine aircraft “Spirit of Innovation” is a modified fuselage of the Sharp Nemesis NXT racing aircraft, in which Rolls-Royce engineers have implanted the 400 kW electric motor. The aircraft is designed for a pilot and is approximately 7 meters long. The range is 7.3 meters. The ACCLE team wants to start an intensive phase of flight tests with the first flight, as they say. The objective is to collect performance data on the aircraft’s electrical power and propulsion system.

According to Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer is working with two important partners: YASA supplies the engine and control electronics, and the British aerospace company Electroflight supplies the battery system.

Half of the funding for the Rolls-Royce electric aircraft project is provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) in collaboration with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. After the successful maiden flight and further tests, the speed record attempt will then take place. However, the company does not give a precise date.

(olb)