Rolls-Royce showed all-electric aircraft

He must rise to the sky next spring.
Rolls-Royce intends to create the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft. At the end of this week, she announced an important step on this path – the device was demonstrated at Gloucestershire airport. The installation of an electric propulsion system will begin, which should allow the aircraft to reach speeds of more than 480 km / h. Flights are scheduled for late spring 2020.

The aircraft is part of the Rolls-Royce initiative called ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight, that is, “accelerating the electrification of flight”) and is a key element of Rolls-Royce’s strategy to provide the company with leadership in electrification. The project involves many partners, including the manufacturer of electric motors and controllers YASA, as well as the aviation startup Electroflight. Half of the funding for the project comes from the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) and the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

ACCEL will have the most capacious battery of 6,000 cells ever assembled for an airplane, providing enough energy to fly 320 km on a single charge. The propeller is driven by three electric motors. Its rotation speed is lower than that of conventional aircraft to reduce noise. The total engine power exceeds 500 liters. from. The plant efficiency is 90%, and the emissions are zero.