Rolls-Royce may have come late to the party in announcing its first fully-electric car, but the company’s founding father Charles Rolls recognised their potential long before most people even knew they existed.

In an interview for The Motor-Car Journal in April 1900, Rolls described electric cars in terms that would not be out of place today.

“The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.  But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable – at least for many years to come.”

Rolls made his remarks having acquired an electric vehicle named The Columbia Electric Carriage, and foresaw its suitability as a clean, noiseless alternative to the internal combustion engine – providing there was sufficient infrastructure to support it. Now, more than 120 years later, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has announced the imminent launch of its first fully-electric model, Spectre, finally fulfilling the prophecy of its founding father.

This prophecy could not have been fulfilled without a more recent promise, when current Rolls-Royce CEO, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, made a public commitment to electrification by announcing 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 this transformative motor car was sufficiently prepared for the most demanding consumers in the world, the company 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.

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.

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 next year. Despite its hefty price tag of US$413,000, the company says it already has a healthy order book for its new electric model with first deliveries expected in Q4 2023.

Order now to avoid disappointment!

Watch the video here.

Photos: The new fully-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre will be available from Q4 2023; Spectre interior; Charles Rolls.