Rolls dips toe in EV waters

Rolls Royce is putting out the feelers on electric powertrain technology with a battery-powered Phantom to go on display at the Geneva motor show.

In a call-out to high-end greenies everywhere, RR is asking: "Can electric motoring deliver a true Rolls-Royce experience? 102 EX is a working test-bed designed to provide experimental feedback on alternative drivetrain technologies in ultra-luxury cars.

"The opinions of owners, thought-leaders and other contributors will be added to the site over the coming year. You are invited to join the debate."

Feedback can be provided to a dedicated website: electricluxury.com

Rolls Royce describes its 102 EX Phantom Experimental Electric as "a test bed to gather a bank of research data which will be crucial in informing future decisions on alternative drive-trains for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars".

Rolls-Royce has not announced technical details yet, let alone plans for production.

"With this vehicle, we begin an exploration into alternative drivetrains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce motor cars of the future," CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös said in a statement.

The vehicle will embark on a global tour that takes in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

Current owners will be given the chance to test drive it and share their thoughts directly with Rolls-Royce via the electricluxury.com website.

Rolls Royce says it will report back to the public through the site.

One thing is certain: the marque is not going to risk its reputation on anything before all range-anxiety and other expressions of luddism are well dealt with.
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