All new Rolls-Royces will be EVs, but the V12 still has life in it

Rolls-Royce has already confirmed it’s going electric-only by the end of 2030, but its iconic V12 engine will be available until then.

“By the end of 2030, there will be no more V12,” Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos told Autocar.

“Series 2 [updates of the Ghost, Phantom and Cullinan] will be V12, brand new Rolls-Royces [will] always be electric.”

There will be no hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains as a bridge towards full electrification across the line-up. Rolls-Royce will begin producing its first EV, the Spectre coupe, later this year.

“We’re not going to have everything, we’re a small company,” said Mr Muller-Otvos.

“We’ve not fallen out of love with V12, and we’ll invest in it to meet new requirements. It’s a lovely transformation from V12 to EV.”

Rolls-Royce hasn’t confirmed when its next electric vehicles will arrive, nor has it said how long its product lifecycles will be – though Mr Muller-Otvos noted to Autocar that the first Phantom lasted for 14 years.

He has said to expect more extremely limited-run vehicles, noting this would be done every other year with “a maximum of making three or four, not 15-20 as this is not then coach building”.

Rolls-Royce revealed the all-electric Spectre two-door coupe in October 2022 and expects deliveries for the upcoming model to commence from the fourth quarter of 2023.

Automotive News Europe reported demand for the Spectre has exceeded expectations and if the trend continued Rolls-Royce could look to increase production.

The carmaker has said the vehicle will be priced between the Cullinan and Phantom, and therefore Australians can expect a price tag of around $800,000.

The dual-motor all-wheel drive Spectre has a driving range of 520km under the stricter WLTP cycle, and produces 430kW of power and 900Nm of torque.

The claimed 0-100km/h time is 4.5 seconds, despite it weighing in at a claimed 2975kg.

Sales figures for Rolls-Royce remain strong. In 2022, the carmaker’s sales were up eight per cent on its previous 2021 record with 6021 vehicles.

The average price of a car also went above €500,000 (A$773,000) for the first time. Mr Muller-Otvos noted the accumulated wealth from the Covid era has made business more “robust”.

The Cullinan SUV was its best-seller globally last year, though the Ghost was tops in the Asia-Pacific region.

Rolls-Royce is firm to say the move to electric will not get in the way of maintaining its premium offering. Of the Spectre, it says it’s a “Rolls-Royce first and an EV second”.