Rolls-Royce Claims Records for ‘World’s Fastest’ All-Electric Aircraft

Last week, engineers clocked its single-engine, electric research plane at a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 kilometers, which, if certified, would crush the existing record by 213.04 km/h (132 mph).

“We believe our all-electric Spirit of Innovation aircraft is the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft,” Rolls-Royce said in a statement. “We have submitted data to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI)—the World Air Sports Federation who control and certify world aeronautical and astronautical records.” 

Test pilot Phill O’Dell said the flight represents “the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for the whole team.”

Even more impressive, the company said, during its record-breaking runs, the Spirit of Innovation reached a maximum speed of 623 km/h (387.4 mph) “which we believe makes the Spirit of Innovation the world’s fastest all-electric vehicle,” the statement said. 

During additional speed runs, the aircraft achieved 532.1 km/h (330 mph) over 15 kilometers. That speed is 292.8km/h (182mph) faster than the previous record, Rolls-Royce said. The airplane also broke the fastest time to climb to 3,000 meters by 60 seconds with a time of 202 seconds, according to Rolls-Royce engineers.

The achievement, if confirmed by the FAI, provides historic evidence that research and development of electric flight is moving forward at a significant pace. It would offer further proof that the aviation industry is making progress toward viable electric aviation platforms. 

The speed reached by the Rolls-Royce airplane was more than 213.04 km/h (132 mph) faster than the previous record set by the Siemens eAircraft powered Extra 330 LE aerobatic aircraft in 2017, Rolls-Royce said.

“Never in the history of the FAI record attempts has there been such a significant increase in speed over such a short time,” said O’Dell, who also serves as the company’s director of flight operations. It highlights “the rapid pace at which electrification of aerospace is advancing.”

The aircraft was developed as part of Rolls-Royce’s Accelerating the Electrification of Flight project—aka ACCEL—which is funded by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), in partnership with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Innovate UK.

Spirit of Innovation is powered by a 400kW electric powertrain with “the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft,” Rolls-Royce says, including 6,000 battery cells, accompanied by an advanced direct cooling system.

The company says the advanced battery and propulsion technology has potential applications for the emerging urban air mobility (UAM) market. UAM seeks to create environmentally friendly electric air transportation that can be used to mitigate urban traffic congestion.