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Flying cleaner

We’re developing a new all-electric aircraft as part of the ACCEL project to beat the world record for the fastest aircraft powered only by batteries

In the context of aviation, no idea should be shunned for seeming too improbable. There have been many doubters, of course. From those who scoffed at Da Vinci’s ‘ornithopter,’ – his imagined flying machine that borrowed heavily from bats’ anatomy – to esteemed mathematician, William Thomson, who declared in 1895 that “heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”

Now, in 2020, we’re faced with a new challenge. More passengers flying every year means more planes in the air – and that means more emissions. So we’ve been busy finding new ways to reduce carbon emissions and combat global warming. Armed with scientific understanding and engineering acumen, you can make breakthroughs.

You can even make the impossible possible.

The third era of aviation – the next step after piston-powered planes and gas turbine jets – is on the horizon. And we’re helping to shape it.

Accelerating the electrification of flight

Accelerating the electrification of flight

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we’ve created engines like the Trent XWB – the most energy-efficient large aero engine in the world. But it was still only the first step; we need to do much more. And we need to move fast. So, in addition to our work developing hybrid-electric jet engines, we’re now racing to beat the world record for the fastest all-electric aircraft in late spring 2020.

“The move to electrical will be gradual, but ultimately revolutionary,” says Matheu Parr, the head of the ACCEL (Accelerating the Electrification of Flight) project.

“Rolls-Royce in 100 years will look very different from the Rolls-Royce of today. As one of the world’s leading industrial technology companies, we are in a unique position to positively influence the future of the sector and the planet we inhabit. Our work on ACCEL, E-Fan X and APUS i-5 shows our commitment to championing electrification in aviation.”

Rolls-Royce’s ambitious demonstrator E-Fan X, which is part of a collaboration with Airbus, looks to mature the technology, performance, safety and reliability of new hybrid-electric propulsion systems for regional aircraft.

The APUS i-5 project, on the other hand, seeks to demonstrate the practical application of hybrid electric technology viable for commercialisation within urban air mobility and commuter aircraft in mid-2020s.

Taking to the air in 2020, the ACCEL project leads both these activities. It provides an opportunity to understand the state-of-the-art in electric propulsion systems as well as inspiring the aviation industry around what’s achievable in the near future.

Inside a small, bustling hangar, tucked away in a remote Gloucestershire airfield, there’s a team of engineers, designers, and data specialists busy scribbling notes, running 3D computer simulations, moulding carbon fibre, optimising batteries and a whole lot else, every day. This effort is supported by Electroflight (UK), a start-up that specialises in high-performance electric powertrains.

“We are delighted to be supporting Rolls-Royce with an integrated electric powertrain including an innovative energy storage solution,” says Roger Targett, the Founding Director of Electroflight.

“Our team comprises leading experts in electrification from the motorsport and automotive sector to assist our partners to accelerate the evolution of electric aircraft.”

Rolls-Royce and its partners are now working around-the-clock to electrify flight – because the clock is ticking.

Tackling the power-to-weight problem

Scheduled to take to the skies over Britain in spring 2020, Rolls-Royce is leading the charge to build the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft. Ever. This 18-month long project is ambitious – but a tight deadline is a powerful motivator.

It’s all hands on deck to create the ACCEL.

The Rolls-Royce ACCEL is an electric aircraft demonstrator. This zero-emissions plane is expected to soar at speeds of 480 kph (around 300 mph), smashing through the current speed record. Its all-electric ‘powertrain’ – the main components that generate and deliver power to an engine – creates more than 500 horsepower and is more than 90% efficient.

The force of the ACCEL powertrain derives from three power-dense 750R electric motors, designed and manufactured by YASA, a British manufacturer of electric motors and motor controllers.

The power density of the battery system is where the ACCEL solution is truly record-breaking. It’s taken a significant team effort to package a battery to deliver the necessary power for the record run, while also meeting strict weight and safety requirements.

Parr says that the plan to beat the speed record is supported by big data. 20,000 data points per-second, to be precise, which gauge everything from the heat of the batteries to the overall health of the engine.

ACCEL will be the fastest all-electric aircraft ever.

Scheduled to take to the skies over Great Britain in 2020, the aircraft will reach a speed of 300 mph – and quite likely even quicker – making it the fastest all-electric plane in history. For comparison, the current speed record for an all-electric plane – set by Siemens in 2017 – is 210 mph.

ACCEL testing monitors more than 20,000 data points per-second. The testing process gauges a number of data points, including battery voltage, temperature, and the overall health of the powertrain.
The ACCEL demonstrator aircraft has a powertrain capable of generating 500hp. It also has a range of 200 miles per-journey.
The number of people expected to fly annually by 2030 is 6bn.

This figure is consistent with the overall projection for population growth, which is a 1bn increase by 2030.

According to Ash Owen, the Chief Engineer of Civil Demonstrators at Rolls-Royce, the project – and electric aircraft generally – face one big problem: weight. He says that petrol-powered engines and gas turbines have outstanding power-to-weight output, whereas batteries, which don’t shed any weight as you use them, are simpler but also heavier.

While Owen feels assured that the ACCEL project will succeed, he sees that different parts of aviation will electrify in different ways.

“The technology roadmap we foresee is that all-electric aircraft are likely to be at the small end of the power range,” says Owen, “covering the small propeller and urban air mobility markets.”

Regional or city hopper passenger aviation could, in time, be electric or hybrid-electric as demonstrated by the Rolls-Royce E-Fan X partnership with Airbus – Owen’s other major project – which aims to mount a two megawatt electric motor to a BAE 146 regional jet, slated to fly in 2021.

And while long haul aviation will continue to be the preserve of the gas turbine, those engines will also benefit from ever more efficient and more electric designs – like the forthcoming UltraFan.

Both Parr and Owen believe the ACCEL project will help in the development of hybrid-electric aircraft, which will also shrink emissions from aviation. During the next months before the inaugural takeoff in the spring, there will be many updates on the ACCEL project – and the other electrification initiatives at Rolls-Royce.

"We’re gaining the know-how to not only pioneer the field of electric-powered, zero-emissions aviation – but to lead it. At this point, our confidence is sky high,” says Parr.

Stay tuned for more updates on the ACCEL project and the electrification of flight – including a video content series on the route to breaking a world record.