Spectre: Future Of Rolls-Royce

Ultraluxury British carmaker Rolls-Royce has confirmed that by the end of 2030, its entire product range will be all-electric and the Spectre EV is just the beginning of that chapter, writes Chandan Basu Mallik.

- Chandan Basu Mallik

Goodwood UK-based Rolls-Royce has made it clear that it will shift its entire ICE portfolio of models to pure electric within eight years. That means all cars made by the bespoke ultraluxury British marque after 2030 will be EVs.

One would think that to transform a 116-year-old company that has built its century-plus reputation on crafting petrol-propelled internal combustion 6-, 8- and 12-cylinder engines with high torque and output to an all-new technology platform SPECTRE would be an impossible task. But Rolls-Royce has had a connection with electric propulsion in the past and as recently as a decade ago.

At Rolls-Royce's Goodwood facility, it was not an overnight decision to think about electrification. It was also not about taking an ICE powertrain out from an existing model and replacing it with a permanent magnet electric motor and battery pack, controller and charging set-up. It was whether the marriage of technologies represented the core values of the brand.

Actually, electrification is not unfamiliar territory for Rolls-Royce, as explained by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars' Chief Executive Officer, Torsten Müller-Ötvös: "The use of electric motors is not a new concept for Rolls-Royce. Sir Henry Royce was fascinated by all things electrified and his first venture, named FH Royce and Company, created dynamos, electric crane motors and patented the bayonet-style light bulb fitting."