--- title: "Electric Airplane Sets All-Time Speed Record" description: "Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Innovation electric airplane just crushed the all-electric top speed record, soaring through the air at 384.4 mph." date: "2021-11-22" modified: "2021-11-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/electric-airplane-sets-speed-record" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "electric aircraft" - "electric airplanes" - "the digest" --- # Electric Airplane Sets All-Time Speed Record ![Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Innovation electric airplane just crushed the all-electric top speed record, soaring through the air at 384.4 mph.]() *\Image: Rolls-Royce\* ## Whoosh Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Innovation electric airplane [just crushed]() the all-electric top speed record, soaring through the air at 384.4 mph. That's if the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) approves the flight and certifies the record. If the record does get certified, the company's single-seater aircraft will have smashed the current record by an impressive 132 mph, which was set by Siemens' Extra 330LE eAircraft in 2017. It also managed to climb juts shy of 10,000 feet in just 202 seconds, 60 seconds faster than the previous record holder, a testament to the sheer muscle power of electric propulsion. ## Going Electric The plane runs on a 400 kilowatt electric powertrain and features "the most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace," according to [a statement](). The news comes after the Spirit of Innovation [successfully completed]() its maiden voyage back in September, spending around 15 minutes in the air. While electric airplanes aren't going to replace fuel-guzzling long-haul airliners any time soon — the energy to weight ratio makes it unfeasible with today's battery tech, [according to *Engadget*]() — electric planes could conceivably start to take over shorter trips. In Rolls Royce's [press release](), UK business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the aircraft "will show the potential of electric flight and help to unlock the technologies that could make it part of everyday life." But airline executives aren't quite convinced. "I don’t see the arrival of... hydrogen fuels, I don’t see the arrival of sustainable fuels, I don’t see the arrival of electric propulsion systems, certainly not before 2030," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary [told *CNBC*]() last month. **READ MORE:** [Rolls-Royce's all-electric airplane smashes record with 387.4 MPH top speed]() \[*Engadget*\] **More on the airplane:** *[Rolls-Royce Tests Sci-Fi-Looking All-Electric Aircraft]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()