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Rolls Royce, the British manufacturer of luxury cars and aeronautical engines has announced the creation of a fully electric aircraft, which they claim as the “fastest in the world” in its category.
According to a communication from the company, the aircraft Spirit of Innovation (“Spirit of Innovation”) has managed to set three new world records during flight tests conducted last week at a UK Ministry of Defense airfield.
The electric aircraft reached a top speed of 555.9 kilometers per hour over 3 kilometers, thus surpassing the 337.5 kilometers per hour mark set in 2017 by a Siemens-powered electric stunt aircraft.
The Rolls Royce aircraft also covered a distance of 15 kilometers at a sustained speed of 532.1 kilometers per hour, surpassing the previously established record by 292.8 kilometers per hour.
The other brand that Rolls Royce claims is that of the electric plane, which has reached a height of three thousand meters the fastest, achieving it in a time of 202 seconds, 60 seconds less than the previously established record.
During your test flights, Spirit of Innovation achieved the maximum speed of 623 kilometers per hour for an instant, so the British manufacturer feels confident to say publicly that “It is the fastest fully electric vehicle in the world”.
All the data collected was sent to the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI), which certifies and controls the world aeronautical and astronautical records, so that the brands of Spirit of Innovation are confirmed.
“Claiming the world record for all-electric speed is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls Royce. I would like to thank our partners and especially Electroflight for their collaboration in achieving this pioneering breakthrough. The advanced battery and propulsion technology developed for this program has interesting applications for the Advanced Air Mobility market ”.
Warren East, CEO of Rolls Royce.
The plane covered a distance of 15 kilometers at a sustained speed of 532.1 kilometers per hour, surpassing the previously established record by 292.8 kilometers per hour.
The Spirit of Innovation is part of the ACCEL project or “Acceleration of the Electrification of Flight”. Half of the project funding is provided by the Aerospace Institute of Technology (ATI), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK.
Just last September the aircraft successfully completed its initial test flight, making it a milestone that just two months later it is breaking records. Spirit of Innovation is equipped with a 400 kW electric motor and a battery pack with the “Highest Power Density Ever Assembled in the Aerospace Industry”.
Looking ahead, the aircraft is intended to become an air taxi. In addition, Rolls Royce is concentrating on a large-scale design to install electric propulsion technology in a larger passenger aircraft.
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