The first all-electric Rolls-Royce production car is about to start on-road testing

The Rolls-Royce Spectre, debuted in September, will shortly begin on-road testing. The Spectre will be Rolls-Royce’s first all-electric production car, with the company declaring that it will only sell pure-electric vehicles from 2030. Apparently, the Spectre will have covered 150 million miles once testing is complete, which Rolls-Royce calculates as approximately 400 years of use.

The prototype seen in photos to date shows the Spectre to be a two-door Grand Tourer. Rolls-Royce recently halted sales of the Wraith and Dawn models, suggesting that the company plans for the Spectre to be a successor for these cars, given their similarities in design.

Rolls-Royce has made it clear that it does not plan to use a hybrid engine as an interim solution on its mission for electric vehicles; it will go straight for an all-electric drivetrain. However, it is unclear whether Rolls-Royce will use its own proprietary electric motor technology or rely on its parent company, BMW, for this. Rolls-Royce has made it clear that the Spectre will not be based on a BMW model, though.

The first electric vehicle seen from Rolls-Royce was the 102EX concept in 2011, a similar design to the Phantom. It was this car that the company used to assess the viability of electric engines as a replacement to the petrol ones it typically uses in its vehicles. The 102EX featured a twin-motor powertrain and a 71 kWh battery, which gave the car 384 bhp and 120 miles (~193 km) range.

Following this in 2016 was the 103EX prototype, with a battery pack of over 100 kWh, which achieved 671 bhp and range around 300 miles (~483 km). The Spectre is due to be released in late 2023. Further details of the vehicle remain tightly under wraps for now.

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