Another major automaker has revealed plans to move entirely to electric vehicles within the next decade.
British manufacturing powerhouse Rolls-Royce will launch its first series-production electric car in late 2023 and has pledged to phase out combustion engines across its entire line-up by 2030.
The all-new Spectre will be the first EV to emerge from this rapid electrification plan which has been teased ahead of the ‘imminent launch of a highly publicised on-road development program. The company said that it will “begin the on-road testing program for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first — and finest — super-luxury product of its type.”
Spectre is “not a prototype,” according to Rolls-Royce, and the company plans to begin sales in late 2023. “Rolls-Royce will no longer be in the business of producing or selling any internal combustion engine products,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce.
Moreover, he said that the 2017 Rolls-Royce Phantom is also a forerunner to the Spectre EV as the “marque’s proprietary aluminium architecture: a scalable and flexible spaceframe” was developed as the basis for future combustion engine models and also versions with “completely different powertrains.”
The Rolls-Royce initiative came when other well-known automakers were abandoning internal combustion engines in favour of EVs. General Motors, for instance, recently debuted its electric motors, which will power the 1,000-horsepower Hummer EV. In addition, Mercedes-Benz also announced its ambition to transition to all-electric vehicles by the end of the decade.
In a preview photo of the Spectre EV, the vehicle is emblazoned with a famous statement from Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles Rolls: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
Rolls-Royce is yet to reveal the Spectre’s specifications. However, the new vehicle’s creation was tied to the goal of Rolls-Royce founders Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, who set out in 1904 to create the “greatest motor automobile in the world.” Rolls-Royce has since diversified its product portfolio to include engines for other industries. For example, the US Air Force confirmed earlier this week that Rolls-Royce would supply new F-130 engines for its fleet of B-52 bombers, extending its operational life into the 2050s.