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Rolls-Royce electric airplane smashes record, hits 387.4 mph

Just two months after its maiden flight, Rolls-Royce's "Spirit of Innovation" has hit a top speed of 387.4 mph, tentatively smashing the speed record for electric airplanes, Gizmodo has reported. It also claimed the top speed of 345.4 MPH over a 3 kilometer (1.86 mile) course and lowest time to a 3,000 meter (9,843 feet) altitude (202 seconds). The records have yet to be certified, but if the 345.5 mph speed stands, it would beat the current record of 213 mph — held by a Siemens-powered Extra 330LE — by an impressive 132 mph.  Rolls-Royce (the aviation, not the car company), conducted the tests on November 16 as part of its ACCEL (accelerating electrification of flight) project. To have the records certified, it's submitting the trials to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the body in charge of world aviation records. If confirmed, the speeds would be pretty impressive considering that the plane only made its maiden flight in September — suggesting that with more time, it could go even faster. 51690212450_7e8bcb3ad8_k View 12 Photos The Spirit of Innovation is an old-school "tail-dragger" airplane (steering at the rear) with the canopy pushed way back, and looks as fast as it goes. It's powered by a 400 kW (535 HP), 750 volt motor. Rolls-Royce said it uses the "most power-dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace," with 6,480 cells.  As Engadget detailed in an explainer, electric airplanes aren't practical since current batteries are 50 times less energy dense than jet fuel. However, they do hold some promise for very short trips, like a 30 minute jaunt between Vancouver and Victoria in Canada. And unlike non-turbocharged ICE engines, electric motors retain full power as an airplane climbs, making them ideal for time-to-altitude record attempts — as the Spirit of Innovation has just shown.  Green Rolls-Royce

Recharge Wrap-up: Google Street View maps gas leaks, Rolls-Royce helps kids build electric racer

Google Street View is looking for gas leaks. Natural gas leaks are not only extremely dangerous, they're a terrible waste of resources and, as a greenhouse gas, a threat to the environment. Unfortunately, with the decaying infrastructure in many of America's older cities, they're pretty common, too. That's why Google is teaming up with the Environmental Defense Fund to map gas leaks. With sensors attached to the Street View cars, they are sniffing out methane leaks and documenting them. So far, they've covered Boston, Staten Island and Indianapolis, with Los Angeles and Syracuse up next. Read more over at Gizmodo. Consumer and environmental groups are calling on the Federal Trade Commission to change the way car advertisements disclose fuel economy. Nine groups, including Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists and Consumers Union, want mpg figures to be clearer and more complete. They have requested that when mpg is advertised, that it includes the EPA's city, highway and combined ratings. They also, among other requests, want mile-per-gallon-equivalent ratings for electric cars to state that they are for comparative purposes only, and to include separate gas and electric ratings for plug-ins and range extended EVs. See what else the groups have requested at Kicking Tires. Rolls-Royce has a new electric car, and it's not the 102EX. The luxury automaker worked with a group of elementary school students in the UK to build an electric car for the IET Formula Goblin project, where students build and race their own electric "car." Rolls-Royce lent the 9, 10 and 11 year-olds a bit of engineering and manufacturing assistance to build the car, which they then raced at the Goodwood Motor Circuit. Read more at World Car Fans, or check out the press release, below. ROLLS-ROYCE SUPPORTS LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL'S RACING DEBUT A team of school children mentored and supported by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars successfully completed the Greenpower IET Formula Goblin race at the Goodwood Motor Circuit on Sunday. The group of 10 boys and girls from Years 5 and 6 built and piloted a specially developed electric car in a race against teams from schools across the UK. 'Team March', from the March CE Primary School adjacent to the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, finished well up the order and scooped the prize for 'Best Bodywork'.

Third Rolls-Royce Wraith teaser looks inward

After shadowy images of the 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith in profile and of the car's rump, the slow striptease of this hyper-luxury coupe finally starts to show us what the inside of the car will look like. We'll get our up-close look at the 2014 Wraith at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5th, but to tide us over until then, Rolls-Royce has provided a pair of images showing just some of the details that will be present inside.
Promising the interior of an "ultra-luxury yacht," the Wraith will get plenty of soft leather and real wood paneling, and as we suspected, this car will share a lot of interior bits with its sedan counterpart, the Rolls-Royce Ghost. We can somewhat see this from the second image provided showing the placement of the clock and the air vents that look almost identical to what can be seen currently on the Ghost. On the Wraith, though, the clock's hands feature "Blood Orange" tips, which not only contrast the high-gloss, piano black finish of this instrument panel but also is designed to pay homage to the aviation side of Rolls-Royce.