Rolls-Royce Motor Cars PressClub · Article.
ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE UNVEILED: THE MARQUE’S FIRST FULLY-ELECTRIC MOTOR CAR
18.10.2022 Press Release
In 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder, Charles Rolls, prophesised an electric future for the motor car. Having acquired an electric vehicle named The Columbia Electric Carriage, he foresaw its suitability as a clean, noiseless alternative to the internal combustion engine – providing there was sufficient infrastructure to support it. Today, more than 120 years later, the time has come for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to fulfil the prophecy of its founding father.
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Georgina Cox
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
This article in other PressClubs
- Rolls-Royce debuts Spectre, the marque’s first fully-electric motor car
- Spectre is a prophecy fulfilled, a promise kept and an undertaking completed
- Spectre “demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to electrification”
- Spectre heralds the beginning of all-electric era for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
- Built on the Rolls-Royce all-aluminium Architecture of Luxury
- Spectre uses new SPIRIT software architecture with full Whispers integration
- World’s first Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé is spiritual successor to Phantom Coupé
- First customer cars to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023
“Spectre possesses all the qualities that have secured the
Rolls-Royce legend. This incredible motor car, conceived from the
very beginning as our first fully-electric model, is silent,
powerful and demonstrates how perfectly Rolls-Royce is suited to
electrification. Spectre’s all-electric powertrain will assure the
marque’s sustained success and relevance while dramatically
increasing the definition of each characteristic that makes a
Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce.
“At Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, perfection is about more than making
the very best products. It is a culture, an attitude and our guiding
philosophy. Indeed, it is our founding father Sir Henry Royce who
said, ‘strive for perfection in everything you do’. Spectre has been
conceived within this culture. It is perfectly in tune with the
sensibilities of our time. It states the direction for the future of
our marque and perfectly answers a call from the most discerning
individuals in the world to elevate the electric motor car
experience, because Spectre is a Rolls-Royce first and an electric
car second.
“This is the start of a bold new chapter for our marque, our
extraordinary clients and the luxury industry. For this reason, I
believe Spectre is the most perfect product that Rolls-Royce has ever produced.”
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce
Motor Cars
“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.”
The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls, Co-Founder, Rolls-Royce, 1900
A PROPHECY FULFILLED. A PROMISE KEPT. AN EXTRAORDINARY UNDERTAKING.
In 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder, Charles Rolls,
prophesised an electric future for the motor car. Having acquired an
electric vehicle named The Columbia Electric Carriage, he foresaw its
suitability as a clean, noiseless alternative to the internal
combustion engine – providing there was sufficient infrastructure to
support it. Today, more than 120 years later, the time has come for
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to fulfil the prophecy of its founding father.
This prophecy could not have been fulfilled without a more
recent promise, when Rolls-Royce CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, made a
public commitment to electrification by announcing that he would bring
a fully-electric Rolls-Royce to market within the current decade.
Charles Rolls’ prophecy and Torsten Müller-Ötvös’ promise led to an
historic moment. In September 2021, the marque confirmed that it had
commenced testing of Spectre, the first Rolls-Royce to be conceived
and engineered from the very beginning as an electric car.
To ensure that this transformative motor car was sufficiently
prepared for the most demanding consumer in the world – the
Rolls-Royce client – the marque devised the most exhaustive testing
programme it had ever conceived. Spectre is being subjected to a
journey of more than 2.5 million kilometres, simulating more than 400
years of use for a Rolls-Royce. On its completion in 2023, Spectre
will represent a prophecy fulfilled, a promise kept and an undertaking completed.
Spectre is not only an historic moment for Rolls-Royce, but also
an historic moment for electrification – with Spectre, the marque
confirms that the technology has reached a standard that can contain
the Rolls-Royce experience. To that end, Rolls-Royce has confirmed
that by the end of 2030 its entire product portfolio will be fully-electric.
THE FUTURE BEGINS
Spectre is more than a motor car. It is a statement
of intent and a symbol of a bright, bold future as Rolls-Royce
progresses into an all-electric era. This commitment to an
all-electric powertrain will only enhance the Rolls-Royce experience –
instant torque, silent running and the sense of one imperceptible gear
have defined the characteristics of an extraordinary canon of products
dating back to the very first Rolls-Royce, the 1904 10 H.P.
With Spectre, Rolls-Royce has harnessed a revolutionary
‘Decentralised Intelligence’ system that allows for the free and
direct exchange of information between more than 1,000 vehicle
functions, further elevating the marque’s celebrated quality of ride.
Its designers have captured a contemporary yet timeless aesthetic that
significantly progresses the brand’s iconography as it embarks on its
electric age. Its craftspeople have created a suite of contemporary
prêt-à-porter personalisation possibilities, including
Starlight Doors and Illuminated Fascia, inspiring clients to realise
their own Bespoke visions.
DESIGN
In unveiling Spectre, Rolls-Royce sets a new
precedent in the creation of an entirely original class of motor car:
the Ultra-Luxury Electric Super Coupé. This designation refers to
Spectre’s indulgent proportions, specified in response to a commitment
that there is no greater luxury than that of space.
The marque’s designers are deeply rooted in the context occupied
by their motor cars. Therefore, their inspiration is drawn from worlds
far beyond automotive, including haute couture, modernist sculpture,
nautical design, tailoring and contemporary art. In conceiving the
principal sketches for Spectre, the marque’s creatives were drawn to
modern yacht concepts, specifically the clarity and precision of line,
intelligent use of reflection and application of taper to emotionalise silhouettes.
From the front, Spectre’s split headlight treatment is
intersected by the widest grille ever bestowed on a Rolls-Royce. The
vanes of the Pantheon grille are now smoother in section and a flusher
fit, designed to help guide the air around the motor car’s front.
The relaxed angle and polished stainless steel finish of the
grille does much to enhance Spectre’s presence using environmental
reflection. Along with an aero-tuned Spirit of Ecstasy figurine –
itself the product of 830 combined hours of design modelling and wind
tunnel testing – the grille enhances the motor car’s unprecedented
drag coefficient, which at just 0.25cd makes Spectre Rolls-Royce’s
most aerodynamic motor car, ever.
This intelligent treatment has been married to the iconography
of Spectre’s spiritual predecessor, the Phantom Coupé. Spectre clearly
acknowledges its forebear with its generous proportions and split
headlight treatment – a contemporary Rolls-Royce design tenet.
Spectre’s sharp daylight running lights emphasise the motor car’s
imperious two-metre width and are offset with lower lamp clusters that
appear darkened, at first glance, but hide jewellery box-like darkened
chromium housings for the headlights. To affirm Spectre’s expression
after dark, the grille is softly illuminated, with 22 LEDs lighting up
the sandblasted rear side of each of the vanes, their gentle glow
reflected in the polished front surfaces for a subtle and
three-dimensional night signature.
In profile, the sharp, vertical bow line at the front of Spectre
draws the eye rearward to its monolithic flanks. The lower line –
known as the ‘waft line’ – borrows directly from yacht design. Instead
of exaggerating movement with busy detailing or appliqués, Spectre’s
coachwork gently tucks into the sill, lightening the surfacing and
creating an uncomplicated sense of motion by reflecting the road
passing beneath it, much as the hull of a racing yacht reflects the
ocean as it cuts through water. This ‘waft line’ is the visual
representation of the ‘magic carpet ride’ and its upwards sweep toward
the front is inspired by the gently lifting bow of an accelerating
power boat.
The silhouette’s most dramatic feature is Spectre’s fastback,
which recalls the most evocative motor cars and watercraft in history.
The seamlessness of the greenhouse surfacing significantly contributes
to achieving the lowest drag coefficient ever for a Rolls-Royce.
Following the roofline back, the tail lamps are set into the largest
single body panel ever produced for a Rolls-Royce, which extends from
the A-pillar to the luggage compartment. The jewel-like vertical tail
lamps themselves are colourless for neutrality, in anticipation of the
myriad of colourways selected by clients during the commissioning
process. Their precision and reduced dimension complement the generous
flow of the bodywork from the muscular shoulders backwards into the
tail section with its characteristic tapering plan view.
The proportional demands of Spectre’s scale required Rolls-Royce
to embolden its wheel strategy. Spectre is the first production
two-door coupé to be equipped with 23-inch wheels in almost one
hundred years.
Inside, Spectre is provisioned with the most technologically
advanced Bespoke features yet, drawing inspiration from the timeless
mystique of the night’s sky. For the first time on a series production
Rolls-Royce, Spectre is available with Starlight Doors, which
incorporate 4,796 softly illuminated ‘stars’. The coach doors can also
be commissioned with a backdrop of wood Canadel Panelling, which takes
its name from the cove in the South of France where Sir Henry Royce
and his design team spent their winters.
The ethereal night-time theme continues with Spectre’s
Illuminated Fascia. Developed over the course of two years and more
than 10,000 collective hours, it incorporates the Spectre nameplate
surrounded by a cluster of over 5,500 stars. Located on the passenger
side of the dashboard, the illuminations are completely invisible when
the motor car is not in operation.
Alongside the extraordinary, illuminated surfaces, Spectre is
equipped with a completely redesigned digital architecture of luxury
named SPIRIT, presented in quintessential Rolls-Royce style. Not only
will SPIRIT manage the motor car’s functions, but it is seamlessly
integrated into 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.
For the first time ever, clients are now able to extend their
Bespoke commission beyond the physical world and into the digital
architecture that underpins SPIRIT. Inspired by the marque’s clients’
love of bespoke timepieces, the colour of the dials can now complement
the interior hue of the motor car.
As with all Rolls-Royce motor cars, Spectre’s interior suite
offers clients near-infinite Bespoke possibilities. The all-new front
seat design has been inspired by British tailoring, with lapel
sections that can be rendered in contrasting or matching colours to
the main base. Bespoke stitching, embroidery and intricate piping has,
as ever, been considered in their inception.
ALL-ALUMINIUM ARCHITECTURE OF LUXURY
2003 saw the first Goodwood-era Phantom, built upon
its own Bespoke architecture. This renaissance of the brand was
Rolls-Royce 1.0. Following this, the ‘Architecture of Luxury’ was
conceived – a new, highly flexible all-aluminium spaceframe
architecture, and visionary feat of engineering, that could be
tailored for electric drive, as well as today’s Phantom, Cullinan and
Ghost models, and Coachbuild projects. This expansion of the marque’s
offering was Rolls-Royce 2.0. The ability to tailor the Architecture
of Luxury for electric drive was a fundamental consideration when it
was first conceived. However, it is only now that electric drive
technology is advanced enough to fulfil the Rolls-Royce experience.
The introduction of a fully-electric powertrain and Decentralised
Intelligence into the marque’s portfolio represents Rolls-Royce 3.0
and the beginning of the bold new all-electric era.
By ensuring from the outset that the Architecture of Luxury
could be tailored to the requirements of an all-electric Rolls-Royce,
the marque’s engineers ensured the continuity of experience from its
current portfolio, each evolution of which has done much to secure the
brand’s ongoing global success. Indeed, the inherent flexibility of
the architecture and ease of integration of an electric powertrain has
freed engineers, designers and craftspeople to focus on the quality of
experience, authenticity of design and innovation in Bespoke.
For Spectre, Rolls-Royce engineers have unlocked further
benefits. The sophisticated extruded aluminium sections and
integration of the battery into the structure of the motor car enable
it to be 30% stiffer than any previous Rolls-Royce. The flexibility of
the architecture has also allowed engineers to place the floor halfway
between the sill structures rather than on top or underneath them. A
channel has been created for wiring and climate control pipework
between the battery and the floor, with the battery mounted
underneath, providing a perfectly smooth underfloor profile. This not
only creates a low seating position and enveloping cabin but realises
a secondary function for the battery – almost 700kg of sound deadening.
DIGITAL ENGINEERING
For Spectre, Rolls-Royce’s engineers have seen much
of their discipline pivot from the workshop to the digital space.
Spectre is the most connected Rolls-Royce in history, and in
harnessing the power of the motor car’s remarkable Decentralised
Intelligence processing capabilities there is more requirement than
ever for expert human experience.
To ensure the continuity of the Rolls-Royce experience, as well
as its progression, the marque selected the most experienced test and
development engineers to lead the project, some of whom have been with
the marque for more than two decades and were responsible for creating
the first ‘Goodwood-era’ Phantom. These engineers describe the
experience offered by Spectre as akin to “Rolls-Royce in high
definition” on account of the speed and accuracy of the motor car’s
response to a worldwide spread of road and weather conditions.
For this to be realised, a dedicated control has been handmade
for each of the 141,200 sender-receiver variables, and in nearly all
cases engineers have designed several more sub-variables for
variations in climate, ground speed, road type, vehicle status and
driving style. These have been crafted over the course of Spectre’s
2.5 million kilometre testing programme both on advanced proving
grounds and on real roads around the world.
PLANAR SUSPENSION
In testing Spectre, the process includes extreme
driving conditions – development of the motor car began just 55km from
the arctic circle in Arjeplog, Sweden, at temperatures as low as -40
degrees centigrade, and it will continue across Southern Africa, in
temperatures of up to 55 degrees centigrade. Yet, 55% of testing is
taking place on the very roads that many production Spectres will be
driven on. Of particular significance was the French Riviera. It was
on the Côte d'Azur that Spectre’s digitally integrated evolution of
the renowned Planar suspension system was finalised.
Planar suspension is an orchestra of systems with precisely
defined responses to driver inputs and road conditions, made possible
by the latest software and hardware developments, delivering
Rolls-Royce’s hallmark ‘magic carpet ride’.
Using a suite of new hardware components and leveraging
Spectre’s high-speed processing capabilities, the Planar system can
decouple the car’s anti-roll bars allowing each wheel to act
independently, preventing the rocking motion that occurs when one side
of a vehicle hits an undulation in the road. This also reduces
high-frequency ride imperfections caused by shortcomings in road
surface quality.
Once a corner is identified as imminent, the Planar system
recouples the components and stiffens the dampers, the four-wheel
steering system is then prepared for activation to ensure effortless
entry and exit. Under cornering, 18 sensors are monitored, and
steering, braking, power delivery and suspension parameters are
adjusted so that Spectre remains stable. The result is effortless control.
POWER, RANGE
AND DIMENSIONS
The final power, acceleration and range figures are
still being refined, as the extraordinary undertaking of finessing
Spectre enters its final phase before concluding in the second quarter
of 2023. Preliminary data shows that Spectre is expected to have an
all-electric range of 320 miles/520 kilometres WLTP and offer 900Nm of
torque from its 430kW powertrain. It is anticipated to achieve 0-60mph
in 4.4 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds).
With many months of testing and optimisation of Spectre still
ahead, these figures are subject to change ahead of official
confirmation prior to market launch in Q4 2023.
SPECTRE DIMENSIONS:
Number of doors / seats 2
doors / 4 seats
Vehicle length 5453 mm / 214.685 in
Vehicle width 2080 mm / 81.889 in
Vehicle height (unladen) 1559 mm / 61.377 in
Wheelbase 3210 mm / 126.378 in
Turning circle 12.7 m
Kerb weight 2975 kg
MARKET DEBUT
Spectre is available for commission immediately, with
first client deliveries commencing in Q4 2023. Spectre pricing will be
positioned between Cullinan and Phantom.
CO2 EMISSIONS & CONSUMPTION.
WLTP: Power consumption: 2.9 mi/kWh. / 21.5 kWh/100km*. Electric range: 323 miles / 520 kilometres*. Co2 emissions 0 g/km.
*Preliminary data not yet confirmed, subject to change.
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