Aviation Today reports that Rolls-Royce announced Tuesday that it is building an electric propulsion system for Vertical Aerospace’s VA-X4 electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The system will include the Rolls-Royce 100kw-class lift-and-push electrical propulsion units and its power distribution and monitoring system. The VA-X4 will conduct a flight test this year and start remotely piloted demonstrator flights beginning in September. The first test flights will use a different propulsion system, but the final certified aircraft will use the system Rolls-Royce is developing.
Full Story (Aviation Today)
Tag: VA-X4
Rolls-Royce Expects Electric Air Taxis in Three to Five Years
Fortune reports that Rolls-Royce “expects a fully-electric small aircraft in three to five years.” Rolls-Royce Electrical Division President Rob Watson said, “We are confident in the technology. Now we need to scale it so it can have a meaningful economic influence. I think that’s where you see urban air mobility and regional air mobility, aircraft with 8-18 seats, becoming a real possibility in the next three to five years.”
Full Story (Fortune)