A new Rolls-Royce electric airplane has just completed its maiden flight. Known as the Spirit of Innovation, it’s the first all-electric airplanes produced by the British automaker and aerospace manufacturer. The Spirit Innovation soared for about 15 minutes over the skies of an airport in the United Kingdom. With its maiden flight now completed, Rolls-Royce can take the next steps to begin manufacturing and selling its new all-electric airplane.
What Is the Spirit of Innovation?
The Spirit of Innovation is a small, single-seat all-electric airplane designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce. Unlike most airplanes, it’s not powered by fuel. Rather, the Spirit of Innovation is powered by a battery pack. It features a 6,000-cell battery pack that’s built within the powertrain. With this 6,000-cell battery pack, it produces about 400 kilowatts of energy.
About the Spirit of Innovation’s Maiden Flight
Rolls-Royce is still in the early stages of developing the Spirit of Innovation. While it hasn’t officially sold any units of the all-electric airplane, Rolls-Royce has completed its maiden flight. The Spirit Innovation’s maiden flight was performed on September 15, 2021. For about 15 minutes, the Spirit of Innovation soared over the U.K. skies before safely landing at a nearby airport.
Why did Rolls-Royce choose to call its new all-electric airplane “Spirit of Innovation” exactly? The name is a reference to its innovative use of electricity as an energy source. Most airplanes are powered by fuel. As they burn fuel, they release harmful emissions. These emissions contribue to airborne pollution, which is a concern for obvious reasons. The Spirit of Innovation seeks to create cleaner skies with its all-electric design. It doesn’t burn fuel. Rather, the Spirit of Innovation is an electrically powered airplane that uses a 6,000-cell battery pack.
“The first flight of the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ is a great achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce. We are focused on producing the technology breakthroughs society needs to decarbonise transport across air, land and sea, and capture the economic opportunity of the transition to net zero,” said Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East.
Most people recognize Rolls-Royce as a luxury automaker. While Rolls-Royce produces some amazing luxury cars, it also produces both airplanes and airplane engines. One of the company’s latest projects is the Spirit of Innovation. It’s an all-electric airplane that uses a 6,000-cell battery pack. In mid-September, the Spirit of Innovation performed its maiden flight, signaling the beginning of a new era for clean and efficient aerospace technology.
