Rolls-Royce unveiled the Spectre, its first-ever all-electric vehicle, a few months back. Oddly, though, it was unveiled prior to Rolls-Royce finishing its vehicle development. The famed British brand planned to test the Spectre over 2.5 million kilometers, to ensure the final product is perfect. Now, that brutal testing regiment is complete and the Rolls-Royce Spectre is ready for showtime.
Over 50,000 hours were spent testing the Rolls-Royce Spectre, over the course of its 2.5 million-mile test. During which, the Spectre was tested in temperatures ranging from -40°C to +50°C, driven on sand, in snow, on windy roads, and even on track. It’s fair to say that Rolls used and abused the Spectre development mule, to prove that it can withstand some of the world’s harshest environments.
“It is a highlight of my professional life to have developed Rolls-Royce Spectre, the car which propels Rolls-Royce into its bold, electric future,” said Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, director of engineering for Rolls-Royce.
What are some of the things Rolls was looking to test/improve during its rigorous process? Acoustic performance, composure under cornering, steering precision, charge time, electric range, and torque delivery, just to name a few. The idea is that the first electric Rolls needs to feel like a normal Rolls-Royce product and perform like one, regardless of its environment. And Rolls has customers in many different geographic locations, with weather at both extreme sides of the spectrum—everything from snowy mountains to harsh arid deserts.
However, as much as Rolls wants the Spectre to be ready for anything, it’s mostly going to live in either gorgeous locations, such as the south of France, the Amalfi Coast, or Monaco. So it really just needs to be a stylish, luxurious, and imposing cruiser. Thankfully, that’s exactly what it is.
The Rolls-Royce Spectre is built on the brand’s all-aluminum architecture, separate from BMW’s CLAR, and it packs a 106 kWh battery pack, which is the largest of any BMW Group product. That big battery should give the Spectre a maximum range of 320 miles, despite its three-ton curb weight. Powering the two-door EV Roller are two electric motors, making it all-wheel drive, that combine to make 577 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque. Rolls claims a 0-62 mph time of 4.5 seconds.
To celebrate, Rolls took one of its development cars, painted it gold, and drove it through London and it looks about as flashy and opulent as you’d expect. We can’t wait to drive this Rolls-Royce Spectre, to see what the first ever electric Rolls is like.
