https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rolls-royces-electric-plane-world-speed-record/

Rolls-Royce's electric plane hits 387 mph to lay claim as world's fastest
By Nick Lavars
November 21, 2021

The Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation in actionRolls-Royce
VIEW 3 IMAGES

An aircraft developed by Rolls-Royce to smash the speed record for an all-electric plane looks to have done just that, within three years of being announced. The Spirit of Innovation took to the skies at a UK Ministry of Defence testing site last week where it reached a maximum speed of 623 km/h (387.4 mph), which Rolls-Royce says not only makes it the fastest electric aircraft, but the world's fastest electric vehicle of any kind.

From the outset, the Spirit of Innovation was built from the ground up to become the world's fastest electric airplane, taking aim at the 210 mph (338 km/h) set by Siemens in 2017. The aircraft is propelled by a 500-hp (400-kW) all-electric powertrain and battery pack of 6,000 cells, described as the
most energy-dense ever integrated into an aircraft.

The Spirit of Innovation completed its first taxi tests back in March, and
then flew for the first time in September, completing a 15-minute flight and kicking off a more advanced testing phase. The latest outing again took
place at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down experimental aircraft testing site, and culminated in a trio of world records, according to Rolls-Royce.

The Spirit of Innovation was clocked at a top speed of 623 km/h (387.4
mph), according to Rolls-Royce

The Spirit of Innovation was clocked at a top speed of 623 km/h (387.4 mph), according to Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce

This includes climbing to an altitude of 3,000 m (9,840 ft) in 202 seconds, breaking the previous record by 60 seconds, reaching a top speed of 555.9
km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 km (1.9 miles), and achieving a top speed of 532.1
km/h (330 mph) over 15 km (9.3 miles). These three world-record claims have been submitted to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale for official certification, but the aircraft is said to have also been clocked at 623
km/h (387.4 mph) during these runs, faster than any electric vehicle on the planet, according to Rolls-Royce.

“Flying the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ at these incredible speeds and believing
we have broken the world-record for all-electric flight is a momentous occasion," says test pilot Phill O’Dell. "This is the highlight of my career and is an incredible achievement for the whole team. The opportunity to be
at the forefront of another pioneering chapter of Rolls-Royce’s story as we look to deliver the future of aviation is what dreams are made of.”

The video below shows the Spirit of Innovation in action during its latest outings. https://youtu.be/kd-RDX1IjuM

Source: Rolls-Royce: https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2021/19-11-2021-spirit-of-innovation-stakes-claim-to-be-the-worlds-fastest-all-electric-vehicle.aspx

Nick Lavars
Nick has been writing and editing at New Atlas for over six years, where he
has covered everything from distant space probes to self-driving cars to oddball animal science. He previously spent time at The Conversation,
Mashable and The Santiago Times, earning a Masters degree in communications from Melbourne’s RMIT University along the way.


10 COMMENTS

anthony88 NOVEMBER 22, 2021 12:27 AM
Be nice to hear the sound the plane makes instead of the music.
EUbrainwashing NOVEMBER 22, 2021 04:13 AM
There's something reminiscent of a Spitfire about this aircraft's
appearance.

Bodger NOVEMBER 22, 2021 07:09 AM
An absolute beauty no matter how fast it flies.

alan c NOVEMBER 22, 2021 07:19 AM
EUbrainwashing I was just thinking how a nice next step would be an electric conversion of a Spitfire....
There is a DHC Beaver electric conversion already in service in Canada (featured in New Atlas I think) and aeromodellers have been flying brushless/lithium since nearly the turn of the century.

guzmanchinky NOVEMBER 22, 2021 07:33 AM
Absolutely amazing, and looks incredible? I WONDER HOW IT SOUNDS WHEN IT'S POWERING UP, TAKING OFF AND FLYING BY??? But I guess the goofy music is more important.

WONKY KLERKY NOVEMBER 22, 2021 11:52 AM
Frau Merkel.
This time, we'll have a 20mm through the screw boss as well.

sally NOVEMBER 22, 2021 03:58 PM
I’m sure I have seen YouTube vids of the motor running with sound in ground rests before adding to the airframe.

Kjell Haugen NOVEMBER 22, 2021 04:57 PM
What a beauty!

toddzrx NOVEMBER 23, 2021 07:45 PM
Yawn……

ljaques NOVEMBER 25, 2021 11:12 AM
Love the shape of all the lifting surfaces, pointy and sexy. But that
fuselage is just plain ugly and imbalanced due to the placement of the batteries, no doubt. Congrats on the record, Rolls. Now make one that's
purty.

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Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rolls-royces-electric-plane-world-speed-record/

Rolls-Royce's electric plane hits 387 mph to lay claim as world's fastest
By Nick Lavars

Not mentioned much of anywhere is the endurance of this single place
wonder, i.e. 7 to 8 minutes.

So at max legal speed, 250 knots below 10,000 feet, you get:

(8/60)*250 = 33.3 nm range

Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern.

Yes, I understand it is a demonstrator, but not of anything particularly
useful in the real world.


<snip remaining>

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On Sun, 28 Nov 2021 08:46:18 -0800, Jim Pennino <jimp@gonzo.specsol.net>
wrote:

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rolls-royces-electric-plane-world-speed-record/

Rolls-Royce's electric plane hits 387 mph to lay claim as world's fastest
By Nick Lavars

Not mentioned much of anywhere is the endurance of this single place
wonder, i.e. 7 to 8 minutes.

So at max legal speed, 250 knots below 10,000 feet, you get:
(8/60)*250 = 33.3 nm range

Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern.

Yes, I understand it is a demonstrator, but not of anything particularly >useful in the real world.

<snip remaining>

Hello Jim,

Thank you for finding that performance parameter. Are you able to cite a source for your seven to eight minute flight endurance figure?

Of course, when you state:

"Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern."

you meant, "at a speed of 336.6414 knots", as I'm sure flight
duration/distance would be significantly greater at reduced speed.

Best regards,
Larry

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

On Sun, 28 Nov 2021 08:46:18 -0800, Jim Pennino <jimp@gonzo.specsol.net> wrote:

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rolls-royces-electric-plane-world-speed-record/

Rolls-Royce's electric plane hits 387 mph to lay claim as world's fastest >>> By Nick Lavars

Not mentioned much of anywhere is the endurance of this single place >>wonder, i.e. 7 to 8 minutes.

So at max legal speed, 250 knots below 10,000 feet, you get:
(8/60)*250 = 33.3 nm range

Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern.

Yes, I understand it is a demonstrator, but not of anything particularly >>useful in the real world.

<snip remaining>

Hello Jim,

Thank you for finding that performance parameter. Are you able to cite a source for your seven to eight minute flight endurance figure?

I forget. I followed links from a google search of "Spirit of
Innovation"+range and found one with such details.

I was unable to find anything on usefull load.

Of course, when you state:

"Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern."

you meant, "at a speed of 336.6414 knots", as I'm sure flight duration/distance would be significantly greater at reduced speed.

Let's see:

(337/250)*8 = 10.8 minutes

(10.8/60*250 = 45 nm

This makes the simplifying assumption that the speed/range relation is
linear, which we know it is not, but is close enough for a back of the
envelope calculation.

I would concider the difference between 45 and 33 miles significantly
greater only if I had to walk it.

Even if you assumed a doubled endurance at slower speed, you still only
get 67 nm.

And then there is that pesky 30 minute reserve fuel rule...

Homework question:

By what factor do you need to increase the endurace to legally undertake
a 30 minute day VFR flight?

Best regards,
Larry

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Sun, 28 Nov 2021 08:46:18 -0800, Jim Pennino <jimp@gonzo.specsol.net>
wrote:

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rolls-royces-electric-plane-world-speed-record/

Rolls-Royce's electric plane hits 387 mph to lay claim as world's fastest
By Nick Lavars

Not mentioned much of anywhere is the endurance of this single place
wonder, i.e. 7 to 8 minutes.

So at max legal speed, 250 knots below 10,000 feet, you get:

(8/60)*250 = 33.3 nm range

Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern.

Yes, I understand it is a demonstrator, but not of anything particularly >useful in the real world.

<snip remaining>
Jim,

Hello Jim,

While I appreciate your flight endurance calculations, it appears you failed
to find this information:

https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/our-stories/innovation/2018/introducing-accel.aspx
Accel has the most energy-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, providing enough power to fly 200 miles (London to Paris) on a single
charge.

Its 6,000 cells are packaged for maximum lightness and thermal protection.
An advanced cooling system can withstand the extreme temperatures and high-current demands during flight
----------

https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-battery-innovations-behind-rolls-royces-ultrafast-electric-airplane
The current speed record for that type of plane is 335 kilometers per hour
(210 mph). The new one-seater craft, slated to fly this spring, will top out
at 480 km/h (300 mph). It should also be able to fly from London to Paris, about 320 km (200 miles), on a single charge.

That’s thanks to “the world’s most energy-dense flying battery pack,”
according to Rolls Royce. The aircraft has three batteries powering three motors that will deliver 750kW to spin the propellers. Each 72 kilowatt-hour battery pack weighs
-------------------

https://electrek.co/2021/11/22/rolls-royce-proclaims-spirit-of-innovation-e-plane-fastest-electric-vehicle-in-the-world-at-387-mph/
On November 16 of this year, Rolls-Royce claims its Spirit of Innovation
plane reached a top speed of 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph) over 3 km, topping the previous record by 213.04 km/h (132mph).

During additional flights in the UK, the e-plane hit 532.1km/h (330 mph)
over 15 km, another new record by a gap of 292.8km/h (182mph).

According to its data, Rolls-Royce also claims to have broken the record for the fastest climb to 3,000 meters by an entire minute, clocking a time of
202 seconds total.
-----------------

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

On Sun, 28 Nov 2021 08:46:18 -0800, Jim Pennino <jimp@gonzo.specsol.net> wrote:

Larry Dighera <LDighera@att.net> wrote:

https://newatlas.com/aircraft/rolls-royces-electric-plane-world-speed-record/

Rolls-Royce's electric plane hits 387 mph to lay claim as world's fastest >>> By Nick Lavars

Not mentioned much of anywhere is the endurance of this single place >>wonder, i.e. 7 to 8 minutes.

So at max legal speed, 250 knots below 10,000 feet, you get:

(8/60)*250 = 33.3 nm range

Which means it is not legal, or even possible, to fly it very far from
the pattern.

Yes, I understand it is a demonstrator, but not of anything particularly >>useful in the real world.

<snip remaining>
Jim,

Hello Jim,

While I appreciate your flight endurance calculations, it appears you failed to find this information:

https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/our-stories/innovation/2018/introducing-accel.aspx
Accel has the most energy-dense battery pack ever assembled for an aircraft, providing enough power to fly 200 miles (London to Paris) on a single
charge.

Notice the total absence of information as to what airplane this applies
to and what kind of load this unnamed airplane can carry all of 200
miles.

The typical short range airliner such as the 737 and A320 has a range
on the order of 3,000 miles.

Electric motor gliders are already capable of flying hundreds of miles
on a single charge, but I doubt the aviation world will be switching to
motor gliders any time soon.

<snip>

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