British luxury automobile maker Rolls-Royce has completed test of the world’s fastest all-electric plane. According to Rolls-Royce, the state-of-the-art technology has been tested by the company on a full-scale replica of the plane’s core, called an ‘ionBird’.

The core of the plane includes a 500 horsepower electric powertrain which is capable of setting world speed records. The battery used for testing was strong enough to supply 250 homes. The plane is part of a Rolls-Royce initiative called ACCEL, short for ‘Accelerating the Electrification of Flight’.

Rolls-Royce said that the ACCEL project team includes key partners YASA, the electric motor and controller manufacturer, and aviation start-up Electroflight.

Notably, Rolls-Royce has developed the modern technology for this all-electric plane while adhering to social distancing and other health guidelines issued by the UK government. Rolls-Royce has announced thay it will integrate the systems into its ‘Spirit of Innovation’ plane. 

Rob Watson, Director – Rolls-Royce Electrical, said, “Rolls-Royce is committed to playing a leading role in reaching net zero carbon by 2050. The completion of ground-testing for the ACCEL project is a great achievement for the team and is another important step towards a world record attempt. This project is also helping to develop Rolls-Royce’s capabilities and ensure that we remain a leader in delivering the electrification of flight, an important part of our sustainability strategy.”

The test-flight of world’s fastest all-electric plane developed by Rolls-Royce is significant because it is the first project of the company to use offsetting to make the whole programme carbon neutral.