The Rolls-Royce Spectre is the British luxury brand’s first electric vehicle. At this point, it isn’t even ready as a concept car. According to the British automaker, it is roughly 25% complete. And even so, a very early testing of the future luxury coupe test mule shows much of what Rolls-Royce’s electrified luxobarge can do.

Starting To Take Shape

Outer styling is left for a later phase in the construction of the prototype. Right now, there are heavy inspiration cues from the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe at work. Based on its height, the Spectre might be a crossover. Its tear-shape makes it the most aerodynamically efficient Rolls-Royce yet, with an estimated 0.26 drag coefficient. 

Windows are surprisingly small in size and door sills are situated at elbow level. Doors open backwards in proper Rolls-Royce style, letting a spacious cabin flood the view of the beholder. There isn´t yet much to talk about in terms of interior finishing or luxury features. This is still a mule and most of the upholstery is covered in masking fabric covers and a ton of sensors and data-logging equipment to deal with the cold winter testing. 

Winter tires were fitted on 22-inch wheels sitting cozy beneath the blended wheel arches. According to Rolls-Royce, standard all-season tires will come together with bigger, 23-inch wheels on the production model. 

An Electric Rolls-Royce, Specs TBA

For the first time in the brand´s history, the bespoke, utterly refined V12 petrol engine will be replaced by an electric drivetrain. Rolls-Royce is keeping lips tight about the specs and whether it’ll be developed in-house or sourced from its parent company BMW.

The Rolls-Royce Spectre will boast 4 electric motors, one for each wheel. Cornering will be aided via rear wheel steering. 

No info was yet provided regarding the range of Spectre. It is however expected to surpass Mercedes EQS’s 470-mile range. For this, Rolls-Royce is likely to employ a battery pack bigger than 100kWh.

Rolls-Royce cars are some of the most comfortable and silent on the planet, and without a noisy combustion engine, that silent DNA should be transferred seamlessly into the Spectre.

As Chief of Projects Horg Wunder mentions, Rolls-Royce gives clients the option of some noise, or no noise. It is possible to make the car completely silent. 

The problem is that nobody can live in complete sound deprivation for extended periods of time. This was also an issue with older Rolls-Royce models that were so silent people suffered from acoustic deprivation syndromes. 

Meanwhile, northern Swedish highway roads allowed Rolls-Royce to create a baseline for improvement and refinement. The Spectre’s suspension is fully adaptive and boasts an updated version of the Wraith’s active anti-rollbar setup.

What’s To Come

Rolls-Royce is planning to electrify its entire lineup by 2030, and the 2023 Spectre is the first step into this direction. RR calls the move ¨Rolls-Royce 3.0¨ and it defines a massive move from the iconic V12 petrol units. 

Even with all the challenges ahead, it slips out that the path towards electrification may not be that bumpy for the British luxury automaker. Nevertheless, Rolls-Royce is not a brand to leave any details untouched, and until next year when Spectre will become available to the public, each and every nook and cranny will be checked, tested and improved.