Prestigious and profligate ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce just announced that it would produce its first fully electric vehicle. Named, like most of Rolls’ cars, for something haunting and ghastly (Shadow, Wraith, Phantom, etc.), it will be known as the Spectre. This vehicle fulfills the long-ago predictions of the company’s eponymous founders. Henry Royce was an electrical engineer by training and saw the great promise of electric power in the early 20th century. Likewise, Charles Rolls, after experiencing early battery-powered vehicles during the same time period, came to the conclusion that the black magic of electricity would one day be a highly practical means of propulsion, once the infrastructural challenges were overcome.
“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged,” Rolls said. “But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable—at least for many years to come.”
The Spectre is expected to be delivered to its first customers in late 2023.
In addition, this new battery-powered vehicle fulfills a promise made by Rolls-Royce at least a decade ago, when we drove the brand’s 102-EX experimental battery-powered vehicle. It also follows from assurances made by Rolls’ CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, who vowed some years back to bring an electric vehicle to market in the 2020s.
Electric power has wondrous practical and aesthetic applications for the ultra-luxury market. It provides effortless power, as all of the torque (thrust) of battery power comes on as soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed, highly relevant when attempting to motivate a prodigious three-ton vehicle. And, as Mr. Rolls indicated 121 years ago, it is also silent, effortless, and lacking the redolence of gasoline and exhaust gasses, providing a more luxurious and cosseting experience for pampered passengers.
An aerial view shows the all-new Rolls-Royce Spectre, their first all-electric vehicle.
Moreover, the move to electric power is absolutely necessary, if the auto industry wants to have any chance of stemming the destructive forces it has unleashed on the planet by relying upon and encouraging the reckless burning of fossil fuels. (The transportation sector is the largest global contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.)
To this end, Rolls has—along with many other automakers, including rivals like Bentley—also promised that its entire fleet of cars will be fully electric-powered by 2030. The Spectre is expected to be delivered to its first customers in late 2023. We look forward to testing it out and to holding Rolls-Royce to its battery of promises.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
