With the popularity of EV vehicles rising exponentially in the past 5 years, it was only a matter of time before we saw top marques introducing their examples. It was hard to grasp how they’d accomplish it, knowing that many of the supercars produced in previous years were powered by very large, powerful combustion engines. This week, Rolls Royce announced their latest model to hit the market. Expected in late 2023, the Spectre adopts a fully Electric motor and boasts the latest in tech from the motoring giant.
“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.”
The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls, Co-Founder, Rolls-Royce, 1900
Rolls Royce claimed that the Spectre is their most exhaustive model created to date, racking up an impressive 2.5 million kilometres of testing – a mere 400 years of use for the average Rolls Royce on the road today.
Rolls Royce have confirmed their plans to be fossil fuel free by 2030, indicating that this was a turning point in the electrification of motor vehicles; “technology has reached a standard that can contain the Rolls Royce experience and to that end, the entire product portfolio will be electrified by the end of 2030”.
Power, acceleration and range figures are still being finalised by Rolls Royce. It is however anticipated that the Spectre will be capable of a 0-60mph in just 4.4 seconds. Not bad for a vehicle weighing in at just under 3 tonnes. Much of the styling is as you’d expect from such a high calibre motor. The Spectre is the first production model to have optional ‘starlight doors’ – 4796 LED’s sewn into the doors, adding to the starry effect we’ve seen in previous models.
The Rolls Royce Spectre features the signature Planar suspension setup; a system designed for the very roads the cars are mostly driven on. The Planar suspension has the ability to decouple the vehicles anti-roll bars, allowing each wheel to act independently – this prevents rocking in the body of the car allowing for the ultimate ride. The Planar system takes metrics from an orchestra of systems in the car, incorporating driving style, road conditions, atmospherics and transforms them into the ultra-smooth ride Rolls Royce is acclaimed for.
Spectre is available for commission immediately and the first customer vehicle is expected for delivery in Q4 of 2023. Although pricing is unknown as of now, its expected to position between the Cullinan and Phantom – circa £400k.
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