In a hangar at Gloucester Airport in the U.K., Rolls-Royce has unveiled its all-electric aircraft which it hopes will enter the record books next year as the fastest all-electric plane. The single-seater aircraft is part of Rolls-Royce’s ACCEL initiative (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) with which it is aiming to champion electric flight, in conjunction with a raft of partners including, but not limited to YASA which specializes in the manufacturer of electric motors and controllers and Electroflight, an aviation startup company.
50 percent 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. Rob Watson, Director of Rolls-Royce Electrical said: “Building the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft is nothing less than a revolutionary step change in aviation and we are delighted to unveil the ACCEL project plane. This is not only an important step towards the world-record attempt but will also help to develop Rolls-Royce’s capabilities and ensure that we are at the forefront of developing technology that can play a fundamental role in enabling the transition to a low carbon global economy.”
The ionBird test airframe, named after the electrical technology propelling the aircraft, was also unveiled. The ionBird will be used to test the propulsion system before it is fully integrated into the plane. ACCEL will have the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, providing enough energy to fly up to 200 miles (London to Paris) on a single charge. The propeller is driven by three high power density axial electric motors and when compared to a conventional plane, the propeller blades spin at a far lower RPM to deliver a stabler and much quieter ride. Combined they will continuously deliver more than 500 horsepower for the record run which will have a target speed in excess of 300 mph and which is planned for spring next year.