Dubai Airshow: Accel powers towards the record books for Rolls-Royce

 Flight testing is scheduled to begin in 2020 and it is targetting a new air speed record of more than 300mph.

Accel – or “Accelerating the Electrification of Flight” – is intended to pioneer a third wave of aviation in support of Rolls-Royce’s strategy to champion electrification.

Accel is partly funded by the UK government and involves a host of partners including electric motor and controller manufacturer YASA, and aviation start-up Electroflight.

The team also brings together some of the expertise from the world of Formula E racing in providing enough power to fly 200 miles (London to Paris) on a single charge.

Phil Curnock, chief engineer, Rolls-Royce civil futures programme, said: “Electrification is nothing new to Rolls-Royce. Accel builds on our existing expertise in applications such as hybrid trains and gas turbine-powered ships.”