First electric Rolls-Royce arrives next year

ULTRA luxury car-maker Rolls Royce has kickstarted its transformation to pure electric power earlier than expected with the unveiling of an almost production-ready example of its first pure electric Spectre fastback two-door coupe.

Preliminary data shows that it is expected to have an all-electric range of 520 kilometres WLTP and offer 900Nm of torque from its 430kW powertrain. It is anticipated to achieve 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.

Rolls-Royce says there are months of testing and optimisation of the Spectre still ahead which means final power, acceleration and range figures are still being refined as the car enters its final phase before concluding in the second quarter of 2023.

With a drag figure of 0.25cd, the Spectre Rolls-Royce’s most aerodynamic car yet and even the Spirit of Ecstasy figurine was the product of 830 combined hours of design modelling and wind tunnel testing – aiding the impressive battery range figure.

Extruded aluminium sections and integration of the battery into the structure of the car are said to enable the Spectre to be 30 per cent stiffer than any previous Rolls-Royce.

In addition to a low seating position and enveloping cabin, the battery integration represents almost 700kg of sound deadening for the interior.

The fast transition to electric drive is being driven by Rolls-Royce CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, who made a public commitment to electrification last year by announcing the brand would bring a fully-electric range to market within the current decade.

It theoretically gave the company some seven years to get its electric act together but given the timing of the public debut of the Spectre, Rolls-Royce seems to be on an accelerated timeline.

The change to electric powered cars was prophesied way back in 1900 by Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles Stewart Rolls, who 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.”

Rolls had just acquired an electric vehicle named The Columbia Electric Carriage, from which he foresaw its suitability as a clean, noiseless alternative to the internal combustion engine – providing there was sufficient infrastructure to support it.

Back to the 21st Century, when Torsten Müller-Ötvös confirmed in September 2021 that the luxury marque had commenced testing of the Spectre, the first Roller to be conceived and engineered from the outset as an electric car.

Rolls Royce says on its completion in 2023, the Spectre will represent a prophecy fulfilled, a promise kept and an undertaking completed.

It says the Spectre is not only a historic moment for the company but also for automotive electrification reasoning that in the Spectre, Rolls Royce confirms the technology has reached a standard that can contain the Rolls-Royce experience.

Rolls says the Spectre is “more than a motor car,” that it is a “statement of intent and a symbol of a bright, bold future as Rolls-Royce progresses into an all-electric era”.

The company affirms its commitment to an all-electric powertrain by 2030 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 range of products dating back to the first Rolls-Royce, the 1904 10 H.P.

With the Spectre, Rolls-Royce says it has harnessed a revolutionary ‘Decentralised Intelligence’ system that allows for the free and direct exchange of information between more than 1000 vehicle functions.

As expected, Rolls Royce has created a suite of personalisation possibilities for the Spectre, including ‘Starlight Doors’ that incorporate 4796 softly illuminated ‘stars’ and an illuminated fascia.

In unveiling the Spectre, Rolls-Royce says it sets a new precedent in the creation of an entirely original class of car: the Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé (ULESC). 

This designation refers to the Spectre’s indulgent proportions, specified in response to a commitment that there is no greater luxury than that of space. The size makes its 23-inch alloy wheels seem like a sensible diameter.

From the front, the Spectre’s split headlight treatment is intersected by the widest grille ever used  on a Rolls-Royce. The vanes of the Pantheon grille are now smoother in section and a flusher fit, designed to help guide air around the car’s nose.

The flexibility of the architecture has also allowed engineers to place the floor halfway between the sill structures rather than on top or underneath them. A channel has been created for wiring and climate control pipework between the battery and the floor, with the battery mounted underneath, providing a smooth underfloor profile.

For the Spectre, Rolls-Royce’s engineers have shifted from the workshop to the digital space. The Spectre is said to be the most connected Rolls-Royce in history but to ensure the continuity of the Rolls-Royce experience, as well as its progression, the company says it selected the most experienced test and development engineers to lead the project, some of whom have been Rolls Royce more than two decades and were responsible for creating the first ‘Goodwood-era’ Phantom.

These engineers describe the experience offered by the Spectre as akin to “Rolls-Royce in high definition” on account of the speed and accuracy of the car’s response to a worldwide spread of road and weather conditions.

So-called Planar suspension combines hardware with precisely defined responses to driver inputs and road conditions, made possible by the latest software and hardware developments, promising to deliver Rolls-Royce’s hallmark ‘magic carpet ride’.

With the ability to decouple the car’s anti-roll bars, each wheel can act independently, preventing the rocking motion that occurs when one side of a vehicle hits an undulation in the road. This also reduces high-frequency ride imperfections caused by shortcomings in road surface quality.