Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.) is set to test a new line of hybrid-electric turbogenerators at its European sites rather than in the UK, the company said on Monday.
Showcasing the new system at the Paris Air Show, Rolls-Royce confirmed the engine would be tested using sustainable aviation fuels in the coming months in Dahlewitz, near Berlin.
The German economic affairs ministry is also partially funding the project, Rolls-Royce said, which will see the engine eventually run on hydrogen as the fuel becomes more widely available.
“This product will […] extend the routes that electric flight can support and means more passengers will be able to travel further on low to net zero emissions aircraft,” the firms’ electrical president Olaf Otto said.
“The […] system will complement the Rolls-Royce electrical propulsion portfolio by delivering an on-board power source,” which is also scalable, he added.
Rolls-Royce also laid out plans to become “the leading provider of all-electric and hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems” for aviation, with Monday’s move indicating the wider plans could also take place in Europe rather than in the UK.
Rolls-Royce shares rose 2.15% on Tuesday.