The Rolls-Royce ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) is an

electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

demonstrator developed by Rolls-Royce plc.

Development

Rolls-Royce developed the ACCEL as a

racing aircraft Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previ ...

to gain the all-electric

air speed record An air speed record is the highest airspeed attained by an aircraft of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which also ratifies any claims. Speed records ...

, targeting over . The existing electric aircraft record at that time was , set in 2017 by a Siemens powered

Extra 330 The Extra Flugzeugbau EA300 is a two-seat aerobatic monoplane capable of Unlimited category competition. It was designed in 1987 by Walter Extra, a German aerobatic pilot, and built by Extra Flugzeugbau. Design and development Design of the ...

. Designed at Gloucestershire Airport, the project is partly funded by the UK government and involves partners such as electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA Limited and aviation start-up Electroflight. The team aimed to reach the 1931

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying ...

speed, which was won by a R-R-powered

Supermarine S.6B The Supermarine S.6B is a British racing seaplane developed by R.J. Mitchell for the Supermarine company to take part in the Schneider Trophy competition of 1931. The S.6B marked the culmination of Mitchell's quest to "perfect the design of th ...

, reaching . On 15 September 2021, Rolls-Royce announced the aircraft, named "Spirit of Innovation", had successfully completed its first flight, flying from MoD Boscombe Down for fifteen minutes. It subsequently reached a top speed of , and sustained over 3 km, over 15 km, and was able to climb to in 3min 22s. The speeds achieved were accepted as world records for electric aircraft by the

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...

in January 2022.

Design

The span aircraft is powered by three high

power density Power density is the amount of power (time rate of energy transfer) per unit volume. In energy transformers including batteries, fuel cells, motors, power supply units etc., power density refers to a volume, where it is often called volume p ...

electric motors driving a single three-blade propeller spinning at 2,400 RPM, designed and manufactured by YASA. The 750 volt, 216 KWh battery has 6,480 cells, with cork insulation and active cooling. Battery output power will be continuous, reaching at maximum power.. It is designed to have the highest

energy density In physics, energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. It is sometimes confused with energy per unit mass which is properly called specific energy or . Often only the ''useful'' or extract ...

for an aircraft, and should allow a range. The aircraft is derived from the carbon fibre

Sharp Nemesis NXT The Sharp Nemesis NXT (which stands for "Neoteric experimental Technology") is a sport-class kit-built aircraft, designed for air racing. It was designed by Nemesis Air Racing's president Jon Sharp, as a follow-on to their Sharp Nemesis. It is a ...

racer, which has a cruising speed of with a piston engine, but can reach with a highly tuned engine. The maximum take-off weight of the NXT is 1,200 kg. Rolls-Royce intend the battery, motors and control equipment in a production system to weigh the same as the regular engine and fuel tank in a conventional aircraft, but the battery pack alone in the Spirit of Innovation currently weighs 1350 kg.

References

External links

* {{Rolls-Royce plc aeroengines Rolls-Royce aircraft Electric aircraft Proposed aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2021