Rolls-Royce develops world's fastest electric plane
The all-electric ACCEL aircraft, expected to launch in 2020, can reach a top speed of more than 480 km/h.
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Rolls-Royce is planning to produce the world's fastest electric aircraft that can reach a top speed of more than 480 km/h,NewatlasThe manned aircraft, called ACCEL, is expected to make its first test flight over Wales next year.
The project’s development team said the biggest challenge was the battery system. To surpass the 337.5 km/h record set by the Extra 330LE in March 2017, ACCEL needed a larger, more powerful battery that wouldn’t be too heavy or too hot.
According to Matheu Parr, ACCEL project director, Rolls-Royce's aircraft will be equipped with the most powerful and advanced battery system ever built for an aircraft. The giant battery pack contains up to 6,000 fuel cells and is cooled by a heat sink system.
ACCEL uses three high-power-density electric motors with a maximum power output of up to 750 kW, allowing the aircraft propeller to operate at 2,400 rpm. Sensors will monitor 20,000 points in the drivetrain, allowing the engineering team to track performance data.
“We will demonstrate the capabilities of the ACCEL during a test flight in 2020. The aircraft will take off from a runway on the Welsh coast,” said Matheu.
