Story at a glance
- Rolls-Royce claims its Spirit of Innovation aircraft has set a new all-electric airplane speed record, reaching a top speed of 387.4 mph.
- The company believes it surpassed the previous top speed by roughly 132 mph.
- The company said it submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) — the World Air Sports Federation for certification.
Rolls-Royce claims its Spirit of Innovation aircraft has set a new all-electric airplane speed record, reaching a top speed of 387.4 mph.
“We believe our all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft is the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, setting three new world records,” the company said in a news release, noting it believes it tops the mark by roughly 132 mph.
The Spirit of Innovation, which was designed to break the speed record and is part of ACCEL ,or Accelerating the Electrification of Flight project, also set new record marks by becoming the fastest to climb to 3,000 meters, the first to reach 330 mph over 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) and the first to hit 345.4 mph over 3 kilometers (1.9 miles).
Rolls-Royce said it submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), also known as the World Air Sports Federation, for certification.
“The aircraft was propelled on its record breaking runs by a 400kW (500+hp) electric powertrain and the most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace,” Rolls Royce said in the release.
Rolls Royce partnered with aviation energy storage specialist Electroflight and automotive powertrain supplier YASA.
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“Flying the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ at these incredible speeds and believing we have broken the world-record for all-electric flight is a momentous occasion,” Director of Flight Operations Phil O’Dell said in the release. “This is the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for the 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,” O’Dell said.
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