An all-electric plane bidding to become the world’s fastest has completed its first flight, Rolls-Royce has announced.
The ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft took off from the Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down site, in Wiltshire, and flew for approximately 15 minutes.
The first flight marks the beginning of an intense testing phase for the Spirit of Innovation, which is hoping to reach speeds of more than 300mph.
During the trials, performance data on the aircraft’s electrical power and propulsion system will be collected.
The plane was powered by a 400kW (500 hp) electric powertrain with the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, Rolls-Royce said.
The technology for the plane has been developed at Gloucestershire Airport by the ACCEL - or Accelerating the Electrification of Flight - programme.
Partners include Oxford-based electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA and aviation start-up Electroflight in Gloucestershire.
Warren East, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, said: “The first flight of the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ is a great achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce.
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“We are focused on producing the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonise transport across air, land and sea, and capture the economic opportunity of the transition to net zero.
“This is not only about breaking a world record; the advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this programme has exciting applications for the Urban Air Mobility market and can help make ‘jet zero’ a reality.”
Half of the project’s funding is being provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Innovate 海角视频.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The first flight of Rolls-Royce’s revolutionary Spirit of Innovation aircraft signals a huge step forward in the global transition to cleaner forms of flight. This achievement, and the records we hope will follow, shows the 海角视频 remains right at the forefront of aerospace innovation.
“By backing projects like this one, the Government is helping to drive forward the boundary pushing technologies that will leverage investment and unlock the cleaner, greener aircraft required to end our contribution to climate change.”
Rolls-Royce, which is investing heavily in green tech, said it would be using the technology from the ACCEL project and applying it to other products, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles - also dubbed ‘flying taxis’.
According to the aerospace giant, the characteristics that air taxis require from batteries are very similar to what is being developed for the ‘Spirit of Innovation’.
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Rolls-Royce and airframer Tecnam are currently working with Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market, which is planned to be ready for revenue service in 2026.
In June, the aerospace giant announced plans to create hundreds of jobs as part of an £80m project to develop storage units for future generations of electric planes.
“The first flight of the Spirit of Innovation demonstrates how innovative technology can provide solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges,” added Gary Elliott, chief executive of Aerospace Technology Institute.
“We congratulate everyone who has worked on the ACCEL project to make the first flight a reality and look forward to the world speed record attempt which will capture the imagination of the public in the year that the 海角视频 hosts COP26.”
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