By Chris Young (Wedn, September 29, 2021)
British engineering giant Rolls-Royce just teased its first electric vehicle (EV), called Spectre. In a press statement, the company said it will “begin the on-road testing program for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first — and finest — super-luxury product of its type.”
Rolls-Royce stresses that Spectre is “not a prototype”, it’s the real deal and the company will start deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2023. The company, which is owned by German automaker BMW also announced today, Sept. 29, that it will only sell electric vehicles by 2030. By the end of the decade, “Rolls-Royce will no longer be in the business of producing or selling any internal combustion engine products,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.Top Articles
Müller-Ötvös also said the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which debuted in 2017, is a precursor to the Spectre EV as the “marque’s proprietary aluminum architecture: a scalable and flexible spaceframe” was created to form the foundation of future combustion engine models as well as models with “completely different powertrains.”
Staying true to Rolls-Royce’s founding vision
The move comes as iconic automakers that made their names with internal combustion engine vehicles increasingly go electric. General Motors, for example, recently unveiled its new electric motors that will power the 1,000-horsepower Hummer EV, while Mercedes-Benz also announced it will go all-electric by the end of the decade.
A teaser image of the Spectre EV sees the car adorned with a well-known quote from Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles Rolls: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
Rolls-Royce’s press statement revealed no specifications about the Spectre itself. Instead, it compared the development of the new vehicle to the vision of Rolls-Royce founders Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, who set out to build the “best motor car in the world” in 1904. Since that time, Rolls Royce has expanded to provide engines for other industries. Earlier this week, the U.S. Air Force announced that Rolls-Royce would provide new F-130 engines for its fleet of B-52 bombers, with a view to extending their lifespan into the 2050s.
Rolls-Royce’s First All-Electric Vehicle Will Hit the Road in 2023 (interestingengineering.com)