Rolls-Royce, one of the world’s largest aircraft engine manufacturers, made the maiden flight of the Spirit of Innovation, its first fully electric aircraft, two months ago. The company, confident in the capabilities of its ambitious project, said that the next flights would be marked by speed and that it could reach the 480 km / h.
Later, they have exceeded their own predictions. The Spirit of Innovation has become the fastest fully electric aircraft ever developed. And while electric aviation is in its infancy, the record is not negligible. This is a maximum speed of 623 km / h in the most recent tests.
But Rolls-Royce’s electric aircraft set not just one world record, but three, as the company notes in a press release. The aircraft reached 555.9 km / h for 3 kilometers. Thus, it surpassed the previous record of 132 mph (213 km / h) held by the Extra 330 LE Aerobatic.
It also covered 15 kilometers at a top speed of 532.1 km / h, leaving behind the 292.8 km / h of the previous record. That is all? No, there is still more. The Rolls-Royce aircraft took only 202 seconds to reach 3,000 meters in height, a very important feature for aircraft.
The auspicious tests were completed on 16 November at the Boscombe Down runway of the UK Ministry of Defense. Nevertheless, the records are not yet certified. Rolls-Royce has sent the data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which is in charge of controlling and certifying world aeronautical and astronautical records.
What features does the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation have?
The Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation is a single propeller aircraft with a fairly traditional design. However, inside it houses an electric motor of 400 kW and the world’s densest battery pack, with 6,480 cells. This technological combination, according to the company, have been essential to achieve the aforementioned records.
Rolls-Royce is not alone in this project. In fact, several actors, both public and private, participate. The UK government, the Aerospace Institute of Technology (ATI), Electroflight and YASA are some involved. All under the orbit of the Acceleration of Flight Electrification (ACCEL) program.
These kinds of advances are a step forward in electric aviation. However, the Spirit of Innovation is not intended to be produced, but so that Rolls-Royce can put its electric motors to the test. The company is working with Tecnam to put an electric passenger plane into operation in 2026.