Spirit of Innovation Reaches 555.9km/h
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which controls and certifies aeronautical records, has verified data acquired during a series of flights in November, indicating the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation set new records for top speed by an electric aircraft.
On November 16, the aircraft reached 555.9km/h over 3km, then, over a 15km distance, registering 532.1km/h, breaking previous records by substantial margins (213.04 and 292.8km/h respectively. A third record awaits FAI verification.
The company says the Spirit of Innovation completed a climb to 3000m in 202s – 60s faster than the previous best by an all-electric aircraft. It also says the aircraft clocked a maximum top speed of 623km/h, making it the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle.
The project is part of the company’s ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of flight) programme, backed by the UK government and supported by Jaguar Land Rover and watchmaker Bremont. The aircraft’s battery was supplied by startup Electroflight and Rolls-Royce says it is “the most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace“. The powertrain was supplied by specialist YASA. The flights took place at the MoD flight test centre at Boscombe Down, and followed profiles set down in FAI guidelines.
“Achieving the all-electric world-speed record is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce,” commented Warren East, Rolls-Royce CEO. “I would like to thank our partners, and especially aviation start-up Electroflight, for their collaboration in achieving this pioneering breakthrough. The advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this programme has exciting applications for the Advanced Air Mobility market. This is another milestone that will help make ‘jet zero’ a reality and supports our ambitions to deliver the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonise transport across air, land and sea.”
Rolls-Royce has likened the record attempt – and the technology development efforts that underpin it – to its work in the 1920s and early 1930s on the Supermarine S.6 and S.6B seaplanes which won the Schneider Trophy. The S.6’s designer, R J Mitchell, took the speed-record ideas forward when developing the Spitfire, and Rolls-Royce’s R-Type engines, used in the Trophy wins, proved pivotal in the company’s eventual production of the Spitfire’s Merlin and, later, Griffon engines.
“Breaking the world-record for all-electric flight is a momentous occasion,” said Rolls-Royce Director of Flight Operations, Phill O’Dell, who was at the controls for the 3km speed record. “This is the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for whole team. The opportunity to be at the forefront of another pioneering chapter of Rolls-Royce’s story, as we look to deliver the future of aviation, is what dreams are made of.
