The first flight of Rolls-Royce’s all-electric plane, Spirit of Innovation completed, says the company.
The British luxury automobile manufacturer, Rolls-Royce, announced the completion of the first ever flight of its all-electric, high-speed aircraft, Spirit of Innovation. The aircraft took off from UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe on September 15, 2021, for a 15 minutes flight. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a British luxury car maker that operates from custom built administrative and production facilities opened in 2003 in England, United Kingdom.
The first flight of Spirit of Innovation took off after almost six months of its first taxi trials. Even if the flight took off a year late than its original scheduled time, the program now plans to move ahead for more detailed flight-testing stage where the plane’s electric power and force system execution data will be collected. The plane took off to the skies with its powerful 400kW (500+hp) electric powertrain with the strongest battery pack. The Spirit of Innovation is a part of the Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACEL), the automaker Rolls-Royce will be setting a new record of electric and high-speed aircraft. The company also plans on propelling the development of eVTOL air taxis. The powerful battery used in the aircraft is capable of reaching maximum output of 750kW (1000bhp) and has an Active Thermal Management System cooling radiator which prevents the system from overheating. For the experience of a stable ride, the constructor used a trio of electrically- activated blades that spin on single boost at 2,400 RPM. Moreover, the sensors installed in the aircraft monitor performance from 20,000 points in the powertrain.
The first successful flight of the Spirit of Innovation is a marvellous achievement for both the ACCEL team and the company Rolls-Royce, says Warrant East, CEO, Rolls-Royce. The team is aiming on creating more carbon-free transport for air, sea, and land. The advanced technology used in the aircraft could introduce various applications in the urban air mobility market.
