All future Rolls-Royce models will be EVs
Luxury British car-maker says it’s already given up on developing combustion-powered carsOn the eve launching its first EV, the battery-powered 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre, the British luxury brand has announced it has introduced its last combustion-powered car.
According to CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos, all future Rolls-Royce models will be all-electric and the BMW-owned company’s entire range of coupes, limousines and SUVs will be zero-emissions by the end of 2030.
“We also made the decision that with this car you could not get electric and combustion. The Spectre is only electric,” Muller-Otvos told Car magazine.
“All future Rolls-Royces, new ones, will be only electric, whilst maintaining what Rolls-Royce stands for. This should be the most dynamic RR ever in history. And it is."
Rolls-Royce’s global boss said the Spectre was built in response to demand from customers who already owned EVs from other car-makers.
He said Rolls-Royce will continue to sell the current combustion-powered Cullinan SUV, Ghost limousine and Phantom flagship over the next seven years until 2030.
“I still foresee a very good business for us in future for Cullinans, for Ghosts. They are the pillars of what Rolls-Royce stands for, crowned by Phantom, which is always around 500 units, very stable. Spectre will definitely be another important column in our product portfolio.”
A major drawcard for the new Spectre will be its powertrain, which should be a perfect fit for a luxury brand that has attempted to eliminated all sound and vibration from its cabins over its 118-year history.
Muller-Otvos says driving range won’t be a problem as most owners typically live in city centres and will use their car for short urban journeys. And if they want to travel further, they normally use their private jet.
Customers have been demanding an all-electric Roll-Royce for years, claims the car-maker's boss, but the original 2011 102EX concept for a battery-powered Roller received a cooler reception from buyers who thought the range was too limited and charging too slow. It also didn’t help that the show car’s batteries only lasted three years before needing replacement.
Muller-Otvos did not reveal which EV it would launch next, but it’s thought a convertible version of the Spectre could be introduced by 2026.
Earlier this week Rolls-Royce said the Spectre has completed almost two million of the 2.5 million development kilometres planned for its first EV, including extreme hot-weather (50°C) testing in South Africa.
Related: Sleeker Spirit of Ecstasy created for Rolls-Royce EVs
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