Rolls-Royce aims for electric plane speed record in 2020

UK aviation icon Rolls-Royce is planning to take another stab at the record books by flying its sleek all-electric plane at more than 300 miles per hour (480kph) in late spring 2020. The recently revealed plane is part of Roll-Royce’s Accelerating the Electrification of Flight (ACCEL) initiative and involves partners such as electric motor manufacturer YASA and aviation start-up Electroflight. The project is backed by government funding and is one of a number of carbon reduction projects involving the engine-maker. READ: ANA goes sci-fi with translating devices at airports. According to Rolls, ACCEL will have the most power-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, providing enough energy to fuel 250 homes or fly 200 miles (London to Paris) on a single charge. It involves 6,000 cells packaged to minimize weight and maximize thermal protection as well as an advanced cooling system to ensure optimum performance by directly cooling cells during the high-power record runs. The propeller is driven by three high power density axial electric motors that allow the propeller blades to spin at a far lower RPM to deliver a more stable and far quieter ride. Have a closer look at the plane: [video width="960" height="540" mp4="https://cdn.airlineratings.com/uploads/ACCEL_03.mp4"][/video] Combined, the motors will continuously deliver more than 500 horsepower for the record run and deliver power with 90 percent efficiency.  They say that compares to about 50 percent for a Formula 1 race car. Rolls-Royce electrical director Rob Watson described the plane as a revolutionary step-change in aviation. “This is not only an important step towards the world-record attempt but will also help to develop Rolls-Royce’s capabilities and ensure that we are at the forefront of developing technology that can play a fundamental role in enabling the transition to a low carbon global economy,” he said. YASA said the company’s electric motor technology is ideal for powering electric flight, where reducing size and weight for a given power and torque is important. The electrical propulsions system will undergo initial trials on a test airframe named ionBird before it is installed in the aircraft. Planned tests over the next couple of months include running the propulsion system up to full power as well as key airworthiness checks. Rolls-Royce is also partnering with Airbus on the E-Fan X technology demonstrator project aimed at developing single-aisle hybrid-electric commercial aircraft. And it is working with Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, on a joint research program on zero-emissions aviation that the airline hopes will allow it to replace and electrify its regional fleet of 30+ planes by 2030.