FutureFlight
Rolls-Royce Exhibit Shows Off the Scale of Aircraft Engine Maker's Electric Ambitions
Rolls-Royce Electrical's exhibit at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany included the Spirit of Innovation electric aircraft, which recently smashed world speed records.
Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation aircraft.
Rolls-Royce set a new world speed record in its Spirit of Innovation aircraft as part of plans to advance the development of electric propulsion. (Image: Rolls-Royce)

Following its acquisition of Siemens’s electric and hybrid-electric aerospace propulsion activities in 2019, Rolls-Royce Electrical was formed in January as a business unit focused on developing electric aircraft propulsion and storage systems. The company exhibited for the first time at the recent Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany. 

This year’s show was the first since the Covid pandemic forced the event into hiatus in 2020 and 2021. During that time, Rolls-Royce Electrical was developing energy storage and propulsion systems designed for the nascent urban air mobility market.