Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer Torsten Müller-Ötvös sent a buzz throughout the automotive industry when he announced recently that the British carmaker will stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030. This announcement sets the stage for the company’s official venture into the realm of electric vehicles, with plans to reveal an all-electric portfolio. The first vehicle in the portfolio, the Spectre sedan, is promised to arrive by the end of 2023. Müller-Ötvös noted that this is a historic moment for the company, as they look to elevate the global electric car revolution and create “the first – and finest – super-luxury product of its type.”
“It was Charles Rolls who truly prophesied an electrified future for automobiles. In April 1900 he experienced an early electric motor car named the Columbia and declared its electric drive to be ideal,” explains Müller-Ötvös in the official release. “Charles Rolls’ prophecy has been the subject of constant consideration during the marque’s Goodwood era. But we have not been satisfied that available technology could support the Rolls-Royce experience. Until now. Now is the time to change the course of the future of luxury.”
Rolls-Royce Spectre
When looking to the future of high-end electric vehicles, Rolls-Royce has a distinct advantage. The electric drive, according to Müller-Ötvös, is uniquely and perfectly suited to the Rolls-Royce. Moreover, this is not the company’s first time experimenting with an electric powertrain. “In 2011 we revealed 102EX, a fully operational all-electric Phantom. We followed this in 2016 with our fully electric 103EX, which represented our vision for the marque several decades into the future,” shares Müller-Ötvös.
Now, with plans for the Spectre sedan and a full-suite of electric vehicles officially in motion, Rolls-Royce is firmly positioned as a leader in the automotive industry, helping to spearhead the continued push for an electrified, environmentally-sustainable future.
