Rolls-Royce Spectre Electric Coupe Unveiled - The Luxury EV Benchmark

According to Rolls-Royce, one of its founders, Charles Rolls back in 1900 stated, "The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration. They should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged." Now, 122 years after his prophetic words, Rolls-Royce, the company that bears his name has come up with its version of the luxury EV in the form Spectre coupe.

Rolls-Royce hasn't released many details about the exact powertrain that propels the Spectre as final specifications are still being refined. Rolls-Royce states that when it arrives in the hands of customers in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Spectre will deliver 577bhp and 900Nm of peak torque from its all-electric powertrain. Rolls-Royce claims the Spectre will go from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.

The exact size of the battery pack that powers the new Spectre hasn't been revealed. Rolls-Royce claims preliminary data shows that the electric luxury coupe will be able to travel for up to 520 kilometres (WLTP) on a single charge and will consume 21.5 kWh/100km. This suggests that the Spectre sports a battery pack of around 100kWh.

The high-efficiency figures are helped by Spectre's coefficient of drag of just 0.25cd, the lowest for a Rolls-Royce motorcar to date.

In typical Rolls-Royce style, the new Spectre EV is an absolutely massive machine. The Rolls-Royce Spectre is 5,453mm long, 2,080mm wide and 1,559mm tall. The wheelbase of the Spectre is 3,210mm long and the Rolls-Royce production EV weighs in at 2,975kg.

The Rolls-Royce Spectre features an all-aluminium chassis with batteries integrated into it to keep any possible noise to a minimum. The Spectre features the carmaker's Planar suspension setup hooked up with the Spirit control system to deliver the hallmark Rolls-Royce magic carpet ride. The Spectre also features all-wheel steering which helps cut down the turning circle to just 12.7 metres.

Rolls-Royce Spectre Design & Features

While the Rolls-Royce Spectre may be an EV, its design is absolutely in line with the British luxury carmaker's design philosophy. Rolls-Royce claims that the Spectre fastback design is inspired by haute couture, modernist sculpture, nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art.

The Spectre features the massive Pantheon grille which is sleeker and wider than ever before and lights up at night. Flanking the grille are sleek LED DRLs that sit above the recessed headlights that sit behind darkened panels.

Even the iconic Spirit of Ecstacy has been reworked to make it as aerodynamic as possible.

The sides of the all-new Spectre are dominated by the massive rear-hinged doors and the 23-inch wheels, a first for a Rolls-Royce.

At the rear, the roof gently tapers into the boot lid section. The vertical LED taillights sit on either edge of the extremely wide rear section of the Spectre.

Step inside and the Rolls-Royce DNA can be found everywhere in the new Spectre. There are lights everywhere - on the roof, door cards and the dash.

There is also a host of tech on board, all of which is controlled through Spectre's Spirit software architecture. Spirit is also fully integrated with the marque's Whispers application, allowing clients to interact with their car remotely and receive live information curated by the marque's luxury intelligence specialists.

Thoughts About The Rolls-Royce Spectre

The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the British luxury marque's very first production EV. While it may be electric underneath the long bonnet, the new Spectre is every bit a Rolls-Royce and looks to be a worthy successor to the Phantom coupe.