Fastest electric aircraft

What to remember

On 19 November 2021, Steve Jones flew the Rolls-Royce ACCEL, also known as Spirit of Innovation, at 555.9 km/h (345.4 mph), Mach 0.45. The FAI ratified it as the speed record for an electric aircraft.

The name sums up the project: Accelerating the Electrification of Flight. The ACCEL is an electric aircraft demonstrator, a racing prototype developed by the British company Rolls-Royce plc.

For comparison, the TGV reached 574.8 km/h and the SCMaglev went past 600 km/h.