[imagesource: Rolls-Royce]
Rolls-Royce are finally jumping on board the electric vehicle bandwagon.
The automaker just made the announcement with the release of their first fully electric Rolls, the Spectre.
Yes, you’re allowed to be confused, as this announcement has come at the exact same time as the new James Bond movie No Time To Die officially opening in the UK, with a car carrying the same name as the 2015 film.
Perhaps it is good timing; with the Bond Franchise set to choose a new actor for the 007 role, they might as well consider switching automotive loyalties, too.
Anyway, this two-door coupe marks the beginning of Rolls-Royce’s EV journey as the company plans to make its entire lineup electric by 2030.
Sitting on the same Rolls Architecture of Luxury as the existing range – the Phantom, Cullinan, and Ghost – the Spectre will be on sale by the end of 2023.
For now, Rolls-Royce has released a few images of a prototype strewn in slogans, making it clear that the car is a coupe with what appears to be rear-hinged doors:
Image: Rolls-Royce
Image: Rolls-Royce
They’ve also announced that the prototype versions will be test driven on roads soon, covering 2,4 million kilometres across the globe.
But overall, details are pretty scarce, per Car and Driver:
No details have been released about the future car’s powertrain, but Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös has previously confirmed to us that any electric Rolls would need to offer at least the same level as performance as that provided by the company’s existing V-12–powered models.
These are famed for their refinement and wafty manners but are impressively potent when unleashed; the company claims a 4,3-second zero-to-60-mph time for the current Ghost. So we should consider that a baseline.
The 102EX used a 71,0-kWh battery pack and a pair of electric motors that delivered a combined 389 horsepower to the rear axle, but we can safely expect the production Spectre to be considerably more potent, and also to substantially better the modest 124 miles of range that was claimed for that concept.
Hopefully, that makes more sense to you than it does to me.
If not, perhaps Müller-Ötvös is better at explaining himself:
[source:caranddriver]
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