Rolls-Royce has announced the completion of the first flight of its all-electric 'Spirit of Innovation' aircraft, that took off to the skies, propelled by a 400kW (500+hp) electric powertrain with the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft.
According to the company, this is another step towards the plane's world-record attempt and another milestone on the aviation industry's journey towards decarbonisation.
The aircraft took off from the UK Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down site, managed by QinetiQ and flew for approximately 15 minutes. The site has a long heritage of experimental flights, and the first flight marks the beginning of an intense flight-testing phase in which we will be collecting valuable performance data on the aircraft's electrical power and propulsion system.
It may be recalled that in June, the company announced its pathway to net-zero carbon emissions – a year on from joining the UN Race to Zero campaign. It ensures that its new products will be compatible with net-zero operation by 2030, and all its products will be compatible with net-zero by 2050.
Accelerating Electrification
The ACCEL programme, short for 'Accelerating the Electrification of Flight', includes YASA, the electric motor and controller manufacturer, and aviation start-up Electroflight. The ACCEL team has continued innovating while adhering to the UK Government's social distancing and other health guidelines.
Half of the project's funding is provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK. In the run-up to COP26, the ACCEL programme is further evidence of the UK's position at the forefront of the zero-emission aircraft revolution.
Rolls-Royce is offering its customers a complete electric propulsion system for their platform, whether that is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) or commuter aircraft. It will be using the technology from the ACCEL project and applying it to products for these exciting new markets. The characteristics that 'air-taxis' require from batteries are very similar to what is being developed for the 'Spirit of Innovation' so that it can reach speeds of 300+ MPH (480+ KMH) – which we are targeting in our world record attempt, the company stated.
In addition, 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.
Warren East, CEO, Rolls-Royce, said, 'The first flight of the 'Spirit of Innovation' is a great achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce. 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.'
Gary Elliott, CEO, Aerospace Technology Institute, said, 'The ATI is funding projects like ACCEL to help the UK develop new capabilities and secure a lead in the technologies that will decarbonise aviation. 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 UK hosts COP26.'