Oh, this is a jet engine! Not a car engine. I was wondering if they’d be changing the electric vehicle game :)
Apparently this new engine is 10% more efficient, and also runs on “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF). I did some quick searching, and this source claims that SAF can reduce carbon emissions by “up to 80%”, and that this improvement might represent 65% of the necessary decarbonization of the aviation industry [1].
Rolls-Royce, the historical company, hasn’t made cars in several decades. The car brand is part of a German conglomerate.
Given the expected price point of the car brand, they can afford very interesting exploration in the EV space. They’ve revealed some prototypes but haven’t really owned the space the way they could: silent, heavy, and stately with surprising power if needed—EVs are a perfect match for their brand.
RR is the leading airplane engine manufacturer with Honeywell and Pratt & Witney. GE & Safran contribute a lot too, but usually for specialized (military) applications. Unless something goes wrong, this engine could easily equip the majority of Boeing and Airbus that fly in 2030. I’d agree with your implicit assumption that it could be on 80% the commercial aviation.
According to this source [1], as of 2019 GE and Safran’s joint venture (CFM) have a 39% share of the commercial engine market, and GE by themselves a further 16%. They have Pratt and Whitney at 35% and RR at 12%.
I’m not sure what their source is but it says this is the commercial market, excluding military and private aviation.
> GE & Safran contribute a lot too, but usually for specialized (military) applications.
GE and Safran is CFM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFM_International), in late 2021 CFM claimed they had 72% of the narrowbody market. Literally all the 737 MAX mess was so they could re-engineer it for the LEAP and avoid falling too far behind the A320neo, and the CFM56 remains extremely popular despite its age.
Also things might get quite weird if RISE is a success.
Airplane bodies and engines are normally managed and maintained as separate assets and often exchanged AFAIK.
Not sure what fitting a different engine type would do to the (re)certification/airworthiness though, that might introduce a whole other bunch of bureaucratic difficulties.
Individual airliner airframes don't normally get re-engined.
Re-engining is a medium program requiring recertification (as lots of ancillary components need to be replaced to match, and the physical properties of the plane almost always change e.g. shape, size, and weight will change the plane aerodynamics), hence they generally include minor frame updates (e.g. A320neo), but can also require pretty major redesigns (737-NG, 737-MAX).
Plus it's common for the engine to be customised to the frame e.g. the CFM LEAP 1A is the variant for the A320 neo, the 1B for the 737 MAX, and the 1C for the COMAC C919. Similarly, the A220, A320neo, Embraer E2 and Irkut C21 all use different models of the PW1000G family.
Boeing had a patent 20-ish years ago for making engine interchange simpler on models that were certified for multiple engines. IIRC, it was originally implemented for 757 and 767. Might have been part of DCAC/MRM, but I’m not 100% on that bit.
Apparently this new engine is 10% more efficient, and also runs on “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF). I did some quick searching, and this source claims that SAF can reduce carbon emissions by “up to 80%”, and that this improvement might represent 65% of the necessary decarbonization of the aviation industry [1].
[1]: https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/sustainable-avi...