In 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles Rolls predicted an electric future for the motor car. After driving an EV called the Columbia Electric Carriage, he said, “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.”
It took a while, but his company now says it’s ready to fulfil his prophecy and produce its first EV. In September 2021, the marque commenced testing of Spectre. Now the company says Spectre will reach the market in the fourth quarter of 2023. By the end of 2030, the luxury marque plans to make its entire product portfolio fully electric.
According to preliminary data, Spectre is expected to have an electric range of 320 miles (520 km) and efficiency of 2.9 mi/kWh (21.5 kWh/100 km) on the WLTP testing cycle. The powertrain delivers 430 kW of power and 900 Nm of torque, and is expected to achieve 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. The 2-door Spectre’s kerb weight is a massive 2,975 kg (6,560 lbs), just a little less than a Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup.
Spectre is “available for commission immediately.” Rolls-Royce says pricing will be positioned between that of the Cullinan (which starts at $382,000) and Phantom ($460,000) models.
“To ensure that this transformative motor car was sufficiently prepared for the most demanding consumer in the world—the Rolls-Royce client—the marque devised the most exhaustive testing programme it had ever conceived,” says RR. “Spectre is being subjected to a journey of more than 2.5 million kilometres, simulating more than 400 years of use for a Rolls-Royce.”
“Spectre possesses all the qualities that have secured the Rolls-Royce legend,” says Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. “This incredible motor car, conceived from the very beginning as our first fully-electric model, is silent, powerful and demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to electrification. Spectre’s all-electric powertrain will assure the marque’s sustained success and relevance while dramatically increasing the definition of each characteristic that makes a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce. It states the direction for the future of our marque and perfectly answers a call from the most discerning individuals in the world to elevate the electric motor car experience, because Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric car second. I believe Spectre is the most perfect product that Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
Source: Rolls-Royce
