Aircraft

New Rolls-Royce turbogenerator upgrades any eVTOL's range and payload

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Rolls-Royce has announced a series of compact, lightweight, efficient turbogenerators specifically designed to radically boost the range of eVTOL aircraft
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce has announced a series of compact, lightweight, efficient turbogenerators specifically designed to radically boost the range of eVTOL aircraft
Rolls-Royce
Power from the turbogenerator can be directed to charging the battery, or sent straight to the propulsion systems – so it can either radically boost range or total thrust, depending on the situation
Rolls-Royce

Battery-electric VTOL aircraft should do a superb job as short-range cross-town air taxis, but there are a whole lot of other trips they could handle quicker and more conveniently than existing transport options if they could just fly a bit further. Several companies are now planning low-emission hybrid eVTOLs, and Rolls-Royce has stepped up to develop a turbogenerator specifically designed to act as a compact, efficient range-extender for this emerging class of aircraft.

Most of the benefits of battery-only VTOLs will remain; the powertrains will remain fully electric and they'll continue to carry decent-sized battery packs, so they can be just as quiet on takeoff and landing, and shorter missions can be flown emissions-free, without ever switching the generator on. Indeed, even flying out toward their maximum range, these hybrid eVTOLs should be able to considerably reduce emissions as compared to ICE-powered planes or helicopters.

Rolls-Royce plans to service a wide range of aircraft, offering its new turbogenerator in outputs ranging between 500-1,200 kW. The company is developing its own power distribution systems, such that the power from these generators can either be directed to charge up the battery pack or power the electric motors directly, depending on the circumstances. Thus, not only can they boost range, they can also potentially boost the peak power of the entire propulsion system, instantly upgrading an aircraft to handle heavier payloads if desired.

As a well-established player in aviation, Rolls-Royce plans to certify these generators with aviation authorities. That'll take a bunch of risk out of the hands of the eVTOL companies, making this a highly accessible way to offer a long-range version of just about any eVTOL design.

Power from the turbogenerator can be directed to charging the battery, or sent straight to the propulsion systems – so it can either radically boost range or total thrust, depending on the situation
Rolls-Royce

What kind of range boost are we talking about here? Well, it'll depend on the size of the fuel tank, but for the sake of comparison, we might start with the fully-electric Joby S4, which promises one of the longer ranges in the eVTOL class at 150 miles (240 km). How does that compare to some of the hybrid concepts we've seen? Well, the Zuri 2.0 promises 435 miles (700 km), and Odys Aviation says its nine-seat diamond box-wing design could handle a whopping 1,000 miles (1,600 km). So the gains are not insignificant.

Rolls-Royce announced its own hybrid-electric VTOL design back in 2018, promising a range around 500 miles (805 km) – although the concept doesn't seem to have gone much further at this stage.

These new turbogenerators will add to the company's portfolio of offerings for eVTOL manufacturers. Rolls-Royce might be best known to the layman for its luxury cars, but it's a huge force in aerospace as the world's second-largest manufacturer of aircraft engines. It's certainly not sitting on its hands as the sector moves to decarbonize; it's already making electric propulsion systems for the CityAirbus and Vertical Aerospace eVTOL projects, and its all-electric Spirit of Innovation plane holds the world record as the world's fastest electric plane.

A new, fully-certified, compact and efficient turbogenerator specifically designed to radically boost the range of any eVTOL aircraft with minimal friction? This kind of thing could well help establish Rolls-Royce as a major player in the next phase of human flight.

Check out a video below.

Source: Rolls-Royce

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16 comments
Slowburn Fan
Everytime I see a Tesla, I think, I'd like to add a gas turbine generator to that.
HokenPoke
@ Slowburn Fan

That is strange you are way behind the times, Tesla vehicles get the same milage as gas powered cars.

Time to get out of the cave and into the outdoors ;)
paul314
Can that RR generator run on anything sustainable/renewable? (or even sustainable-ish?)
martinwinlow
Words cannot convey the utter contempt I have for those who seem to think a battery electric machine is 'improved' by adding an ICE to it - even worse, trying to mislead by calling it a 'turbogenerator'. They must think (like those peddling 'self-charging 'EVs' ') that *everyone* is very, very stupid. We are not.
FB36
Pure EVs (like Tesla vehicles) are not suitable for most(?) people (at least currently) because there is no convenient charging options available everywhere!
General public adoption of EVs would go a lot faster, if they were made "backward-compatible" w/ ICE vehicles!
How?
By governments making it mandatory for all EV makers to include an add-on option which is a flex-fuel gas turbine generator (as both auto-recharger & range-extender)!
Realize then it would be possible to use all EVs same as gas-powered ICE vehicles (as long as needed, everywhere needed)!
jzj
Turbines with recuperators at not even 30% efficient, and this unit doesn't have one, which means its efficiency is probably in the low 20's. While possibly power dense for its weight, it is inefficient, and because fuel is heavy, this is likely a pointless exercise. While waiting for more energy dense batteries, long-range planes should focus on clean renewable fuels, or convince me that hybrid-powered planes are somehow so much more energy efficient as to justify entirely new plane powertrains.
Karmudjun
Words truly do not convey the inspirational benefit of a electric range extending generator powered by a - "Wait for it" - Gas-turbine driven generator system so that the carbon reduction of electric drive systems is negated by the gas that is used in the "TURBINE" driven generator. While it may seem counterintuitive to range extend a viable electric air travel system with a carbon releasing TURBINE driven generator, it is actually excellent capitalistic innovative thinking. The large capital cost of a limited range system hurts implementation - but the large capital cost of a limited range system that can have the range doubled or tripled today for another few thousand dollars means they can sell electric powered air vehicles to many more commercial entities.
I see an issue with such contempt.
devontim
Interesting article. Except, what's a turbogenerator..? googing . . . Ah, ok. So, it's a turny device that makes electricity. How's it powered? You mention fuel; ok, so hydrogen? Hmm, no mention of which method, so probs not. Petrol? Jet fuel? Diesel..?! Ah, whatever, it's probably going to be hydrocarbon.
S Redford
Could be a good product for medium size commercial/industrial CHP unit with the addition of a heat-recovery boiler. An area RR are familiar with.

By the way, Rolls Royce cars are owned by BMW and have been completely separated from the Aero/Industrial business since the early 70's.
BogBeast
Apparently it will run on hydrogen

https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2022/22-06-2022-rr-advances-hybrid-electric-flight-with-new-technology.aspx