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PRIVACY
Manufacturing

Rolls-Royce's 300mph electric plane moves step forward as aerospace giant finishes tech testing

The company is hoping to beat the current all-electric flight world record with its aircraft

CGI of the plane(Image: Rolls-Royce)

Rolls-Royce is forging ahead with its attempt to build the world’s fastest all-electric plane after completing ground testing of the technology that will power the aircraft.

The plane will use a battery with enough energy to supply 250 homes, according to the aerospace giant, which said the aircraft would be capable of more than 300mph at full speed.

All the technology has been tested on a full-scale replica of the plane’s core, which has been named ‘ionBird’ after the zero-emission energy source propelling the aircraft, Rolls-Royce said.

The company's engineering and test pilots have been optimising the system and developing operating procedures for electric flight since January.

The announcement comes just days after Rolls-Royce confirmed it was in talks with investors over a fundraise of up to £2.5billion as Covid-19 continues to blight the aviation industry.

The plane is part of a Rolls-Royce initiative called Accelerating the Electrification of Flight - or Accel.

(Image: Rolls-Royce)

The Accel project team includes electric motor and controller manufacturer Yasa and aviation start-up Electroflight.

Nadhim Zahawi, º£½ÇÊÓÆµ business and industry minister, 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.