British engineering company Rolls-Royce will soon power the world’s fastest all-electric plane now that it has completed testing on its ground-breaking technology.
The technology was tested on a full-size model of the plane’s fuselage, dubbed ‘ionBird,’ which includes a battery with enough power to supply 250 homes and a 500 horsepower electric propulsion system, fast enough to break world speed records. The company named the test airframe ‘ionBird,’ after the zero-emissions energy source propelling the aircraft.
The airplane is part of a Rolls-Royce initiative known as ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight). Some of ACCEL’s partners include the aerospace start-up Electroflight and YASA, a British manufacturer of electric motors and motor controllers.
Nadhim Zahawi, the Minister of Business and Industry in the UK, said:
From trains to planes, our transport of the future will be powered by clean, electric sources – with companies like Rolls-Royce developing the tech to help meet our net-zero ambitions. The completion of ground-testing for the government-backed ACCEL project is not only a step towards an exciting world record attempt but a leap towards developing all-electric and hybrid-electric planes that one day could ferry large numbers of passengers around the world.
The Rolls-Royce team tested every system component, including running the propeller at full rotational speed (roughly 2,400 rpm) using the densest, most powerful high-performance battery ever assembled for aircraft propulsion. When the system is at full power during the flight-testing phase, the aircraft should propel to over 300mph (480 km/h), breaking a new world speed record for electric flight. The battery comprises more than 6,000 cells packed for minimum weight, maximum safety, and complete thermal protection.
Since the beginning of the year, test pilots and engineers have spent a significant number of hours improving the system and making operating procedures for electric flight.
Rob Watson, the Director of Rolls-Royce Electrical, explained:
Rolls-Royce is committed to playing a leading role in reaching net-zero carbon by 2050. The completion of ground-testing for the ACCEL project is a great achievement for the team and is another important step towards a world record attempt. This project is also helping to develop Rolls-Royce’s capabilities and ensure that we remain a leader in delivering the electrification of flight, an important part of our sustainability strategy.
British luxury watchmaker Bermont has agreed to be the official timing partner for the all-electric speed record attempt and has helped design the plane’s cockpit, which will feature a stopwatch. The Rolls-Royce team plan to perform the first flight later this year, with the intention of beating the current world record for all-electric flight by early next year.
Mark Scully, the Aerospace Technology Institute’s Head of Technology for Advanced Systems & Propulsion, said:
The significance of reaching this milestone should not be underestimated. The ACCEL team is pioneering the integration of high-performance batteries, motors, and drives to deliver an electric propulsion system in an ambitious flight test program. These technologies and the systems integration needed to utilize them hold great potential for future sustainable aviation, which is why the ATI is proud to support the project.
Up to 50% of the project’s funding comes from the Aerospace Technology Institute, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, and Innovate UK. The ACCEL initiative is a first for Rolls-Royce on its drive towards zero carbon by 2050 and the first Rolls-Royce project to use offsetting to make the whole program carbon neutral.
In 2019, Rolls-Royce unveiled its All-Electric Airplane, and it’s beautiful; see for yourself in the photos below. If you like Rolls-Royce, then check out the pure electric 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V. converted by a UK-based company called ‘Lunaz’ that specializes in EV conversions.
