Rolls-Royce’s First EV Prototype Looks Awfully Close To An Electrified Wraith

It’s here! Rolls-Royce has taken its first steps towards electrification by revealing its first electric model, (well, sort of as it's a heavily disguised pre-production prototype). Called the Spectre, you’ll have to wait until late 2023 until its production iteration is launched globally. 

Looking at the prototype at a glance, despite the heavy camouflage, the overall silhouette does look similar to the Wraith with smooth character lines and a curvy body. But the carmaker claims it’ll be an all-new model. That being said, the Spectre will be built on the carmaker’s space frame architecture which also underpins the Ghost and Phantom. 

Platforms aside, if you take a closer look at the Spectre prototype, the hints of a futuristic Rolls-Royce are already there with turbine-like alloy wheels. Of course it retains traditions such as the trademark Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood. 

We haven’t had a look at the Spectre inside, but we expect oodles of opulence at par with the Rolls-Royce models of today, along with some nifty tech in the form of autonomous driver assists.

The Spectre, being a battery electric vehicle, is so far the only thing that Rolls-Royce has divulged on the technical side. That being said, the carmaker will commence on-road testing of the Spectre soon, with the testing program covering over 2.5 million kilometres, the most of any Rolls-Royce model. This program will also serve to simulate a scenario where someone uses a Rolls-Royce model for 400 years! 

Expect more details on the Rolls-Royce Spectre to surface as we get closer to the late 2023 launch timeline. It will kick off a push for electrification, with Rolls-Royce aiming to electrify its entire lineup by 2030.