Rolls-Royce to create 300 jobs with £80m investment in aviation batteries
Derby-based Rolls-Royce says it will create 300 jobs by 2030 with an £80m investment aimed at developing energy storage systems (ESS) that will mean aeroplanes will be able to fly over 100 miles on a single charge.
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.
Rob Watson, director of electrical, Rolls-Royce, said: “This multimillion-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.”
Rolls-Royce says it has designed 10 different aerospace battery systems, using 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 the firm has have built the Spirit of Innovation aircraft, that is aiming to be the world’s fastest all-electric plane.
Rolls-Royce says it is also working closely with WMG, University of Warwick through its High Value Manufacturing Catapult to develop its energy storage technology.
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.
