One thing is certain, there will be no price shield for the Rolls-Royce Spectre, the first electric vehicle from the legendary British brand, owned by German BMW. In September 2021, Rolls-Royce announced that a 100% electric model would be launched during the fourth quarter of 2023.
This shift to electric is no coincidence. It follows the trend of the moment, all car manufacturers having in turn announced the abandonment of gasoline engines in favor of electric – this only concerns member countries of the European Union. For the British manufacturer, the deadline is 2030. Beyond this date, it will no longer sell or manufacture any thermal vehicle in the EU.
This turnaround is the fulfillment of a prophecy announced in 1900 by Charles Rolls, one of the co-founders of Rolls-Royce. Following the acquisition of an electric vehicle called Columbia Electric Carriage, Charles Rolls said that the electric vehicle would become a “clean and quiet alternative to the internal combustion engine — provided there is sufficient infrastructure to support it“. Already in 1900, the charging network was identified as a primary factor.
Today, Rolls-Royce lifts the veil on the Spectre, a coupe that will share the aluminum platform of the Phantom, the limousine launched in 2017. As a result, the Specter should display the same dimensions, i.e. a length of 5.453 m for a width of 2.080 m and 1.559 m in height. The wheelbase is commensurate with the habitability of the vehicle, ie 3.21 m, while the displayed weight is 2.975 tonnes. A heavy weight, unfortunately…
As for the drag coefficient, the brand announces 0.25, “an unprecedented number” on its segment. For the record, Rolls-Royce indicates that it has worked on the aerodynamics of the emblematic statuette Spirit of Ecstasywhich required830 hours of modeling and wind tunnel testingAnother first, the Specter will be the brand’s first model to adopt 23-inch wheels in almost a hundred years.
On the motorization side, the Specter has an electric motor developing 430 kW (585 hp, torque of 900 Nm). The exercise from 0 to 100 km/h is done in 4.5 seconds. As for the battery pack, probably supplied by Samsung, it will offer 520 km of autonomy (WLTP mixed cycle) for an average consumption of 21.5 kWh/100 km. It can be reasonably estimated that the battery capacity will be around 110 kWh.
Driving more than 2.5 million km
Scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2023, the Rolls-Royce Specter nevertheless continues to follow the “the most comprehensive test program Rolls-Royce has ever devised“, or more than 2.5 million kilometers, simulating more than 400 years of use. Thus, the first tests began in the town of Arjeplog, Sweden, 55 km from the Arctic Circle, under temperatures of – 40° C. They will continue in South Africa, where the mercury can soar to over 55 degrees Celsius.
The British manufacturer specifies that the roads of the Côte d’Azur have a “special significance“. Indeed, it is here that the Planar in-house suspension was developed thanks to the combination of mechanical parts and software, making it possible to offer a “flying carpet ride“. In concrete terms, each wheel acts independently in order to avoid body movements when the road is not level. The system is able to detect (GPS indications) bends in advance and to adapt the shock absorbers and management in order to “guarantee effortless corner entry and exit“.
One question remains: the price of this Specter limousine. If Rolls-Royce does not give any figures, the brand indicates that the prices of this first electric model will be between those of the Cullinan and the Phantom, i.e. around 400,000 €… Electric or not, a Rolls will remain a object of fantasies, jealousy or repulsion for a very large majority of people.