The Spirit of Innovation, a Rolls-Royce all-electric airplane, is scheduled to take flight for the first time soon, and will be towed around the tarmac by a Jaguar I-Pace as a support vehicle. Rolls-Royce plans to attempt a world record flight with the Spirit of Innovation by reaching a target flight speed of over 300 mph.
While Rolls-Royce Motors Cars Ltd. has yet to deliver an electric vehicle, Rolls-Royce Holdings has a keen focus on aircraft and a road map to create net zero emissions in operations by 2030, followed by all products by 2050. In fact, Rolls-Royce Holdings remains one of the largest manufacturers of airplane engines in the world.
Its latest all-electric plane, the Spirit of Innovation was created through the ACCEL program, which stands for “Accelerating the Electrification of Flight.” Working with electric motor manufacturer YASA and aviation startup Electroflight, this all-electric plane looks to set world records and bring humanity one step closer to zero-emissions air travel.
According to Rolls-Royce, the electric propulsion system of the Spirit of Innovation can deliver over 500 horsepower with the aid of the most energy-dense battery pack ever assembled for an airplane. This battery can provide enough energy to fly from London to Paris on a single charge.
The Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation has already completed key ground testing and taxiing with the I-Pace, and will next prepare for the first test flights in the coming months.
(Source and image: Rolls-Royce – Sprit of Innovation aircraft)