Rolls-Royce is entering new aviation markets to pioneer sustainable power and as part of that mission will be developing energy storage systems (ESS) that will enable aircraft to undertake zero emissions flights of more than 100 miles on a single charge. Rolls-Royce is planning an £80-million (US$110 million) investment in ESS over the next decade.

Aerospace-certified ESS solutions from Rolls-Royce will power electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing) in the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market and fixed-wing aircraft, with up to 19 seats, in the commuter market.

By 2035, Rolls-Royce is planning to integrate more than 5 million battery cells per annum into modular systems. These modules will deliver market-leading energy density levels.

This multi-million-pound investment by Rolls-Royce over the next decade is another demonstration of our ambitions in electrification. We are developing a portfolio of energy storage solutions to complement our electrical propulsion systems. This will ensure that we can offer our customers a complete electric propulsion system for their platform, whether that is an eVTOL or a commuter aircraft. It will enable us to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for all-electric or hybrid-electric propulsion systems, which is incredibly exciting as these new markets develop and expand.

—Rob Watson, Director of Electrical, Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce has been delivering battery solutions for many years and has designed 10 different aerospace battery systems, using state-of-the-art cell technology. Of these batteries, four designs have already flown in three aircraft, accumulating more than 250 hours of flight experience and another two designs will complete their first flight in aircraft in 2021.

This includes a battery developed with Electroflight, Rolls-Royce’s UK manufacturing partner in the ACCEL programme, in which it has built the Spirit of Innovation aircraft that is aiming to be the world’s fastest all-electric plane.

Both ACCEL and the initial research and technology undertaken to develop industry leading ESS are being supported by the UK Government through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).

The company is also working closely with WMG, University of Warwick through its High Value Manufacturing Catapult, an experienced research partner with extensive knowledge gained through supporting the automotive and other sectors, to develop energy storage technology.

Battery pack design is a mechanical, thermal and containment design challenge and there has to be a strong focus on safety and low weight. These aspects are core to all the products that Rolls-Royce has a long history of producing in aerospace.

Rolls-Royce and airframer Tecnam are currently working with Widerøe—the largest regional airline in Scandinavia—to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market, which is planned to be ready for revenue service in 2026. Rolls-Royce will deliver the entire electrical propulsion system including an energy storage system for the new P-VOLT aircraft.