The previous record of the competing aircraft broke the Rolls-Royce machine by more than 200 km / h.
The British aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce broke a new speed record with its fully electric Spirit of Innovation aircraft. The aircraft reached test speeds of up to 623 kilometers per hour during test flights.
Rolls-Royce announced this in press release. Electric propulsion for aircraft is currently being developed by a number of manufacturers and air carriers are also trying to support it. The reason is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during flying. So far, it is tested only on small aircraft, the machine from Rolls-Royce is only single.
The new record is already officially confirmed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). The previous speed record in the electric aircraft segment was held by the Extra 330 LE machine with a Siemens electric drive, which in 2017 reached a speed of 214 kilometers per hour lower.
“This is another important step in extending electric aircraft to real operations.” said Rolls-Royce boss Warren East. According to the company, this shows the potential of electric propulsion in aviation. The aircraft is part of the ACCEL project co-financed by the UK budget to speed up the entry of electricity into aviation.
The flights themselves took place in mid-November in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. The aircraft is powered by engines with a total power of 400 kW. The manufacturer is cooperating in the development with the company Electroflight, which provides batteries for the aircraft. The aircraft has a set of batteries with six thousand cells.
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