Rolls-Royce Ready To Break Record For Speed Of Electric Powered Flight

JAKARTA - Renowned car and aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is determined to break the electric flight speed record, exceeding 480 kilometers per hour, while protecting the environment.

Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East said it wanted to have a high-speed electric aircraft product, but still produce zero carbon emissions in its operations by 2030 and lead the market by 2050.

"Electric and hybrid aircraft for short-haul travel will not come from one company alone. It will come from a large industry that will have to reinvent itself over the next few decades," East said as reported by The National News Monday, June 14.

To achieve this goal, Rolls-Royce presents an aircraft called the 'Spirit of Innovation', an aircraft designed and assembled in the skies to break speed records for all modes of electric transport.

The twin-propeller aircraft targets speeds above 483 km/h, beating the current record of 338 km/h set by Siemens in 2017. Its power source comes from advanced battery cells.

"There are 6,000 battery cells packed with maximum protection from heat and as light as possible. Equipped with an advanced cooling system that can withstand extreme temperatures and high current demands during flight," the company said on its website.

Once charged, this piloted electric plane can cover a distance of 322 kilometers or from London to Paris in almost the same time as a combustion engine powered aircraft.

The batteries that power the Spirit of Innovation are very similar to what urban flying taxis might one day need, meaning there are potential commercial applications for the project as well.

In March, the company said Spirit of Innovation successfully launched, an important test of the plane's propulsion system before actual flight testing.

Rolls-Royce said it targets to have the planes airborne by the spring of this year. However, East refused to set a specific time limit, citing only the word 'soon'.