picture released, Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce has said it believes its “Spirit of Innovation” plane could be the world’s fastest all-electric plane.
The company, which is based in Derby, England, said the aircraft reached a top speed of 387.4 mph (623 km/h) during testing at the aircraft test site.
The plane is believed to have set three different new world records.
The numbers have been sent to the World Air Sports Federation for verification.
Test flights were conducted on 16 November.
Top speed was achieved by test pilot and director of flight operations Phil Odell.
“It’s the highlight of my career and it’s a great achievement for the whole team,” Odell said.
Rolls-Royce said the “spirit of innovation” was more than 132 mph (213.04 km/h) faster than the previous record set by a Siemens air-powered e-plane in 2017.
The aircraft up to a top speed of 345.4 mph (555.9 km/h) for ranges over 1.9 miles (3 km) and 330 mph (532.1 km/h) for ranges over 9.3 miles (15 km) Reached.
picture released, Rolls-Royce
It is also believed to have set the fastest time to reach an altitude of 9,842.52 feet (3,000 m) in 202 seconds, 60 seconds behind the previous record.
The aircraft uses an electric motor with a capacity of 400 kW, which is equivalent to a high-speed car with 535 horsepower.
Rolls-Royce CEO Warren Ess said the achievement “supports our ambitions to make the technological breakthroughs society needs to decarbonize by air, land and sea transport.”
Rolls-Royce expects the results to be approved and officially confirmed by the International Air Transport Association as the new world record in the near future.