Rolls-Royce Spectre EV to launch next year with 260-mile range

Rolls-Royce plans to deliver its first EV, the Spectre two-door coupe, to customers late next year as it transitions toward becoming a fully electric brand by 2030.

The company estimates that the Spectre will travel up to 260 miles on a fully charged battery, deliver 577 horsepower and zip from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

Those are similar figures to the Cadillac Celestiq, toptechtrends.com/2022/10/17/cadillac-celestiq-ev-reveal/”>another rarefied EV announced this week starting toptechtrends.com/2022/10/17/who-is-going-to-buy-cadillacs-300000-hand-built-ev/”>north of $300,000. The Spectre will likely be priced above $400,000, in line with the rest of Rolls-Royce’s portfolio.

The four-seater fastback sports 23-inch wheels — seen for the first time on a Rolls-Royce production two-door coupe in almost a century — and the brand’s widest-ever grille.

Unlike competitors, Rolls-Royce skipped the hybrid phase in its path to becoming a battery-electric brand. However, its parent company, BMW Group, builds several hybrid models, including its forthcoming XM, a 644-horsepower plug-in hybrid crossover that ranks as toptechtrends.com/2022/09/27/bmws-most-powerful-suv-is-a-plug-in-hybrid/”>BMW’s most powerful production model.

Most ultra-luxury brands are launching plug-in hybrids prior to producing fully electric models. Bentley, which launched its toptechtrends.com/2022/06/04/2022-bentley-flying-spur-hybrid-review-forecast/”>first plug-in hybrid model last year, is preparing to build its first EV in 2025. Aston Martin plans to produce its first battery-electric model in 2026, following the launch of its toptechtrends.com/2022/08/28/aston-martin-valhalla-plug-in-hybrid-to-shape-future-evs/”>1,000-horsepower Valhalla plug-in hybrid at Pebble Beach.

McLaren, which launched the Artura plug-in hybrid this year, plans to produce its first EV in 2028.

These will be far from the most expensive EVs on the market. Both Rimac and Pininfarina began producing toptechtrends.com/2022/07/14/dueling-2-5-million-hypercar-evs-arrive-this-summer/”>$2.5 million battery-electric hypercars this summer. The Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista share common DNA — toptechtrends.com/2022/06/25/whats-the-secret-sauce-behind-croatian-ev-maker-rimac/”>Rimac supplies Pininfarina with its 120-kilowatt battery pack and powertrain — and deliver 1,900 horsepower.

toptechtrends.com/2022/10/18/rolls-royce-spectre-ev-to-launch-next-year-with-260-mile-range/”>Rolls-Royce Spectre EV to launch next year with 260-mile range by toptechtrends.com/author/jaclyn-trop/”>Jaclyn Trop originally published on toptechtrends.com/”>TechCrunch