We don’t like to see phrases such as ‘historic’ bandied about, but this is Rolls Royce and they’ve announced their first electric car. So this qualifies as historic. On-road testing is just about set to start and, as you can imagine, the people at Rolls Royce are thrilled.
CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös, said: “Today is the most significant day in the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars since 4 May, 1904. On that date, our founding fathers, Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, first met and agreed that they were going to create ‘the best motor car in the world’.
“Today, 117 years later, I am proud to announce that Rolls-Royce is to begin the on-road testing programme for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution and create the first – and finest – super-luxury product of its type. This is not a prototype. It’s the real thing, it will be tested in plain sight and our clients will take first deliveries of the car in the fourth quarter of 2023.”
Interestingly, Mr Müller-Ötvös claims that the electric drive is better-suited to the Rolls Royce than any other car. This took us somewhat by surprise, but here’s his reasoning: “We embark on this bold new future with a huge advantage,” he says. “Electric drive is uniquely and perfectly suited to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, more so than any other automotive brand. It is silent, refined and creates torque almost instantly, going on to generate tremendous power. This is what we at Rolls-Royce call ‘waftability’.”