Rolls-Royce has finally taken the wraps off its first fully electric car as the sleekly silent and zero-emissions Spectre goes on sale from today to super-rich customers who want to be greener.
The new Spectre – which has undergone thousands of miles of testing under a camouflage skin disguise – is powered by a mighty 577 horsepower (430kW) electric motor and battery configuration, which propels the near 3 tonne vehicle from 0 to 60mph in just 4.4 seconds and up to a top speed expected to be limited to 155mph.
But it also has a significant full-charge range of up to 320 miles – enough to drive from London to just North of Newcastle.
The new Rolls-Royce Spectre is its first ever fully electric car, designed for super-rich customers who want greener luxury
Although exact prices have not yet been announced, the company says Spectre will be priced between the Cullinan 4×4 and flagship Phantom models.
But as customers rarely buy any new Rolls-Royce without adding significant personal touches and extras, they will typically be spending in excess of £400,000.
The two-door four-seater fastback is Rolls-Royce’s most aerodynamic motor car ever and has a presence and size similar to that of the earlier petrol powered Phantom coupe, which it is described as the ‘spiritual successor’ to.
It means the luxury marque with its famous Spirit of Ecstasy is now also embracing the Spirit of Electricity – with a modern funky interior to electrify potential customers.
Climb in: The Rolls Royce Spectre’s huge rear-opening doors will make climbing into the back of the two-door car simple
Sleek Spectre: The two-door four-seater fastback is Rolls-Royce’s most aerodynamic motor car ever
The Spectre has been extensively tested – from the frozen landscapes around the Arctic Circle in Northern Sweden, to warm weather testing in South Africa and the Cote d’Azur – on a 1.5million mile testing programme around the globe simulating the equivalent of 400 years of use to deliver Rolls-Royce’s hallmark ‘magic carpet ride’.
Described as the world’s first ultra-luxury electric super coupé, bosses said Spectre heralds the beginning of a new all-electric era for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and ‘demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to electrification’.
By 2030 its entire product portfolio will be fully electric, Rolls-Royce confirmed.
With all the engineering work electronic software in place, they have been ‘teaching’ the new Spectre to be a true Rolls-Royce.
Rolls-Royce say their cars are perfectly suited to electric power and that in 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder, the Honourable Charles Rolls – who bought his own early electric car – prophesised an electric future for a clean, noiseless motor car.
Rolls said at the time, also perhaps anticipating range anxiety: ‘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.’
More than 120 years later, bosses say the time has come for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to fulfil the prophecy of its founding father.
The driver’s Rolls-Royce: Like the previous Phantom Coupe, the Spectre will be aimed at Rolls-Royce’s customers who choose to drive themselves
Star car: Inside the Spectre will offer luxury and Rolls-Royce’s famed ability to almost limitless customise a car’s interior
Rolls-Royce said: ‘Spectre is not only an historic moment for Rolls-Royce, but also an historic moment for electrification – with Spectre, the marque confirms that the technology has reached a standard that can contain the Rolls-Royce experience.’
It added: ‘Spectre is more than a motor car. It is a statement of intent and a symbol of a bright, bold future as Rolls-Royce progresses into an all-electric era.
‘This commitment to an all-electric powertrain will only enhance the Rolls-Royce experience – instant torque, silent running and the sense of one imperceptible gear have defined the characteristics of an extraordinary canon of products dating back to the very first Rolls-Royce, the 1904 10 H.P’.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is based at Goodwood near Chichester in West Sussex and employs more than 2,000 people at its boutique factory there.
Silent Spectre: A Rolls-Royce is traditionally whisper quiet inside and the new electric powertrain will help this effect
Room to relax: Rear seat passengers in a two-door Rolls-Royce need not fear that they will be squashed in – they get a similar level of luxury to those in the front
