The Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation Is The Fastest EV Around, But There’s A Catch

We all know that the Rolls-Royce name is synonymous with luxury lounges on four wheels, but the company is also well known (and has been so for a while) for building aircraft engines for most commercial aircrafts. Now the company’s ‘Spirit of Innovation’ electric aircraft has clocked a whopping 623kmph (387.4mph) top speed to stake claim to the title of the fastest all-electric vehicle in the world.

Sure, it's an aircraft, but it is still the fastest thing on electric propulsion. During the record runs at the UK Ministry of Defence’s Boscombe Down experimental aircraft test site, the aircraft achieved 555.9kmph (345.4mph) over 3km, smashing the previous record set by the Siemens Extra 330LE by 213.04kmph (132mph). It also managed a top speed of 532.1kmph (330mph) over 15km, and broke the fastest 3000m climb by 60 seconds, with a time of 3 minutes and 22 seconds. 

To help the aircraft achieve this mind-blowing feat, the Spirit of Innovation was powered by an electric powertrain pushing more than 500PS, with Rolls-Royce claiming it has the most power-dense propulsion battery pack in aerospace. 

There is one small issue with this record run, though: it has yet to be approved by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Nevertheless, Rolls-Royce has already sent the data over to the governing body, so it should be certified soon.

Speaking of EVs, Rolls-Royce will soon be having one on four wheels as well. Called the Spectre, it will debut by 2023. It was recently teased with a Wraith-like silhouette which you can check out here. Aside from this, the carmaker aims to electrify its entire lineup by 2030.