Rolls Royce’s Turbogenerator Technology, Boosting The Range Of eVTOL Aircrafts

Propelling ahead of the rest, Rolls Royce has officially announced its development of compact, lightweight and efficient turbogenerator technology.

Serving as an on-board power source with scalable power offerings, the system is specifically designed to radically boost the range of eVTOL aircrafts.

To begin with, current battery technology of all-electric propulsion only enables eVTOL and fixed wing commuter aircrafts for short flights in and between cities.

With the turbogenerator, that will be scaled up to serve a power range between 500 kW and 1,200 kW, resulting in longer routes that all electric battery powered aircraft can support.

Furthermore, the turbogenerator can recharge batteries after take-off or power propellers directly, enabling the aircraft to switch between power sources in flight.

Meaning, it will not only boost the range, but can also potentially boost the peak power of the entire propulsion system, instantly upgrading an aircraft to handle heavier payloads if desired.

Other than that, most of the benefits of battery-only VTOLs will remain, the powertrains will still be fully electric and they'll continue to carry decent-sized battery packs.  

The latter is one of the key aspects as it allows the aircraft to be just as quiet on takeoff and landing. Plus, shorter routes can be flown emissions-free, without ever switching the generator on.

Also, as a well-established name in the field, Rolls Royce plans to certify its turbogenerators with aviation authorities, making it a highly accessible option of a long-range type for any eVTOL design.

That said, the new turbogenerator will add to the Rolls Royce Electrical propulsion portfolio, which already consists of the CityAirbus and Vertical Aerospace eVTOL projects, and its all-electric Spirit of Innovation plane.