Rolls-Royce’s first electric car, the Rolls-Royce Spectre has been launched in Malaysia with a starting price of RM 2,000,000 before options. It is the first of many as Rolls-Royce is on its way to becoming a fully electric brand by 2030.
The Spectre brings its founder’s vision to reality. In 1900, The Honorary Charles Stewart Rolls said, “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”. It is the world’s first ultra-luxury electric coupe, essentially creating a new genre of its own.
Spiritually succeeding the Phantom Coupe, the Spectre is designed with cues taken from a racing yacht. On the outside, it may look like an internal combustion engine (ICE) Rolls-Royce, thanks to the front grille, but the Spectre is an all-electric car. Being the first electric car from Rolls-Royce, it is also the most aerodynamic one to date, with a drag coefficient of 0.25. Just for context, the Rimac Nevera has a drag coefficient of 0.3 while the Mercedes-Benz EQS has a drag coefficient of 0.2.
Part of what contributes to the low drag coefficient of the Rolls-Royce Spectre is its grille, which may look like the standard ICE grille, but is actually close off behind the vanes with a sand-blasted surface. The vanes have a slanted design to direct air to the sides of the car. A small item but significant one that contributes to the aerodynamics is the new Spirit of Ecstasy which has undergone 830 hours of wind tunnel testing and design modelling to be the most aerodynamic Spirit of Ecstasy ever.
Other exterior highlights of the Spectre include the split headlight design which nicely evolves the brand’s look, the 23-inch wheels which are a Rolls-Royce first, and the a-pillar and rear quarter panel which is the largest ever body panel on a Rolls-Royce. The Spectre’s design swoops all the way to the back in a smooth fashion and ends at the clear taillights which have been designed like so on purpose in anticipation of various bespoke colour commissions.
Measuring 5,475 mm long, 2,017 mm wide, 1,573 mm tall, and with a wheelbase measuring 3,210 mm long, the Rolls-Royce Spectre is a proper 4-seater coupe and not just a 2+2. And in case you were wondering how much the Spectre weighs, it is a whopping 2,890 kg. Part of what contributes to the weight is the 700 kg battery pack.
Speaking of the battery pack, the Rolls-Royce Spectre houses a 102-kWh capacity battery which gives 530 km of range (WLTP). It can be charged at a maximum rate of 22 kW with AC charging and 195 kW with DC charging. The former charges the car from flat to full in 5 hours and 30 minutes while the latter charges the car from 10% to 80% in 34 minutes. The range and charging speeds are already impressive by today’s standards but Rolls-Royce says that it hasn’t bothered too much with it since the average Rolls-Royce owner owns 7 cars and only drives their Rolls-Royce for an average of 5,100 km per year.
Rolls-Royce says the performance isn’t exactly the highlight of the Spectre, but even so, the 2,890-kg electric car does the century sprint in 4.5 seconds. This is thanks to a dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup that makes 584 hp and 900 Nm.
To get inside, you step through the “Effortless Doors” which are rear-hinged. The doors on the Spectre are the largest ever on a Rolls-Royce, measuring 1.5 metres long. The Effortless Doors have power assistance and can be opened and closed electronically.
The driver’s door, for example, can be closed automatically by stepping on the brakes. Naturally, they also come with a soft-close function. Another interesting fact about the Effortless Doors is that they are fitted with G-Force sensors inside them. This means that regardless if it is parked on a flat surface or slope, the doors always open at the same speed.
Inside, the Spectre introduces several brand-first features. The first one is the illuminated stars on the door panels. The company says there are 4,796 of them on the door panels alone. Elsewhere you get 1,200 stars on the headliner and 5,500 stars on the passenger-side dashboard digital screen.
Speaking of the screen, the Spectre brings digitalization to the Rolls-Royce lineup. There are three screens on the dashboard, with one being the instrument cluster, one being the main head unit, and one being the passenger-side screen. The head unit comes with wireless smartphone connectivity and comes with an operating system that some of us may be familiar with.
What’s nice in the Spectre despite its digitalization is the preservation of physical controls for the HVAC system and several other controls as well. As expected of the brand, they all have a nice premium touch to them.
The interior of the Rolls-Royce Spectre can personalized to an extreme level and you can choose almost any colour combination that you can think of. Completing the luxury feeling in the cabin are the soft floor carpets.
Now in Malaysia, the Rolls-Royce Spectre starts at a price of RM 2,000,000 before options. It is the first Rolls-Royce electric car which is the beginning of the brand’s plan to become fully electric by 2030.
GALLERY
