Rolls-Royce to enter the electric vehicle market with Spectre

The British automobile maker's upcoming all-electric vehicle boasts a 520km range and a 430kW powertrain.

By Richard Ng / 3 Nov 2022

electric cars, electric vehicles, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Spectre

Share this article

Last year, Rolls-Royce teased the Spectre — the luxury British automaker’s first ever vehicle powered by an electric drivetrain. And with it, the end of the marque as we know it. Out with the combustion engine, and in with an electrified future — to be realised across every single vehicle rolling off the conveyor belt in Goodwood, England, by the end of the decade.

It’s been a year since the marque set out to fulfill the promise first made by one of its founders, Charles Roll, back in 1900 (a full four years before he founded the brand). Back then, he said: “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. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable — at least for many years to come.”

It has been more than a century since then and the Rolls Royce Spectre — a 5.4m-long grand tourer — is almost upon us. And in the usual Rolls-Royce fashion, they aren’t leaving anything to chance before its market launch in Q4 2023.

An impressive performance range

Rolls-Royce

1/2

By then, the motor car would have been put through its paces for 2.5 million km, or roughly 400 years of use. This excessively rigorous testing has a simple goal: ensuring that the Spectre works just as well in any condition. Whether that be just 55km from the arctic circle in Arjeplog, Sweden, where temperatures can be as low as -40°C; or the scorching hot plains of Southern Africa at a toasty 55°C.

That said, the majority of testing has taken place on roads where you’d most likely find a Spectre — think the sun-draped country highways of the French Riviera.

At last count in June, the brand has already clocked some 40 per cent of its intended mileage — which is probably why they’ve decided that now’s the time to drop some preliminary numbers.

These include an impressive 430kW powertrain cranking out 900Nm of torque, allowing the four-seater to reach 100kmh from dead stop in 4.5 seconds. It also has a pretty impressive range of 520km on a full charge, thanks in part to its ultra-aerodynamic profile with a drag coefficient of just 0.25cd (helped in part by the redesigned, slimmer Spirt of Ecstasy hood ornament).

Related: Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament gets a new look

The most technologically advanced Rolls-Royce drive

Rolls-Royce

2/2

Apart from throwing up impressive figures, you can expect a couple of niceties with the new release. These include the Starlight Doors — which Rolls aficionados might recognise for the marque’s preexisting bespoke decor option, the Starlight Headliner. But instead of the soft glow from a starry constellation above your head, this version — a first on a series production Rolls-Royce — incorporates nearly 4,800 stars on your coach doors.

Naturally, the all-electric Spectre will also be the brand’s most technologically advanced since its inception. It comes with a “digital architecture of luxury” named Spirit, which manages the car’s functions while providing connectivity to Rolls-Royce’s exclusive members-only Whispers app; and a full suite of safety and driving assistance systems, some of which were tweaked during the Spectre’s 2.5 million km testing programme by experienced engineers.

As testing has yet to be completed, expect some of the numbers to change slightly by the time the Spectre launches late next year.

Related: Rolls-Royce’s pearl Boat Tail is both rare and beautiful

electric cars, electric vehicles, Rolls-Royce, Rolls-Royce Spectre