The Rolls-Royce Spectre, the company's first production EV, has been in the works for a long time.?
Not because of the various delays and failures experienced by Elon Musk's Cybertruck, but because of the lesser-known truth that both Henry Royce and Charles Rolls had a recorded obsession with all things electric years before they established their car business in 1906.
In 1884, Royce started his first company, which produced dynamos and electric crane motors. It also invented and patented the bayonet-style lighting fitting.?
In April 1900, Rolls experienced an early electric motor car called the Columbia and declared its electric drive to be "perfectly noiseless and clean." There is no odour or vibration, and they should be quite handy if fixed charging stations are established."
We may not have solved the problem of adequate fixed charge stations after 123 years, but Rolls-Royce, which has been testing with electric powertrains since 2011, is finally ready to produce its first EV. Of course, this isn't the Rolls-Royce firm of the early twentieth century. In 1971, it was placed in receivership.?
Despite being nearly 5.5 metres long and 2 metres broad, it's also the most aerodynamic model in the brand's history, with an amazing 0.25 drag coefficient, thanks in part to that tapering tail.?
The Spectre is likewise large, weighing over 3 metric tonnes when equipped with a driver.?
A massive 102-kWh battery and two motors provide 430 kW (584 horsepower) and 900 Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds. The WLTP standard specifies a range of 329 miles and an efficiency of 2.6 to 2.8 mi/kWh.?
Basically, despite its enormous size and weight, the Spectre is quite fast, but more on that later.
There's a sea of leather and craftsmanship inside. The deep-pile carpets are better and deeper than those found in any boutique hotel. Inside, the Spectre features the brand's "starlight" headlining, which now extends to the doors as well.?
With 4,800 separate light sources, it's bling of the subtly theatrical variety. However, given the playground that LED lighting has provided automakers, one wonders if more could have been done with such a system.?
Of course, the most significant aspect of any Rolls-Royce is how it drives. The company is set on the Spectre, like its other models, being able to float you serenely over the road¡ªwhich it accomplishes with aplomb, and being an EV only makes matters easier in this regard.
Rolls-Royce claims it intended to create an electric vehicle that was first and foremost a Rolls-Royce. That is exactly what it has done. It has created an EV that might just as easily be an ICE vehicle, and the owner may never notice.?
It's not a particularly daring tactic, but it's not Rolls-Royce's duty to be brave. But if this is what Rolls-Royce comes up with on its first attempt at a full production EV, it will be quite intriguing when the firm really leans into this area.
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