Rolls-Royce completes ground-testing of electric plane technology

Rolls-Royce has completed testing of the technology that will power the world’s fastest all-electric plane. All the technology has been tested on a full-scale replica of the plane’s core, called an ‘ionBird’, including a 500hp electric powertrain powerful enough to set world speed records and a battery with enough energy to supply 250 homes. The plane is part of a Rolls-Royce initiative called ACCEL, short for ‘Accelerating the Electrification of Flight’. The ACCEL project team includes partners YASA, the electric motor and controller manufacturer, and aviation start-up Electroflight. Business and Industry Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “From trains to planes, our