Rolls-Royce takes to the Riviera to test its all-electric Spectre

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Rolls-Royce continues testing of the Spectre, its first-ever electric vehicle, this time with sessions on the French Riviera. The battery-powered model is planned to have 2.5 million kilometres of testing under its belt before it’s put into production, and the luxury automaker said the development is about 40 per cent complete.

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Rolls-Royce takes to the Riviera to test its all-electric Spectre Back to video

Earlier this year, the Spectre was tested at a facility in Arjeplog, Sweden, that’s 55 kilometres south of Arctic Circle. The automaker said it’s now shifting focus to the French Riviera, as it’s a location “that reflects the motor car’s everyday use.” Given that a Rolls-Royce starts around $400,000 in Canada, that certainly sounds right.

We’re expecting the Spectre to launch in the fourth quarter of 2023, so detailed information on it is still very scarce. But we do know that this coupe will be the most aerodynamic Rolls-Royce to date, with a drag coefficient of 0.25; that it will have new suspension technology that includes anti-roll bars that can decouple from each wheel to prevent the car from rocking over road undulations, as well as using more than eighteen sensors to monitor braking, steering and throttle to adjust for stability; and that it will boast a 30-per-cent increase in rigidity over a combustion-engine Rolls-Royce due to its battery being integrated into the car’s structure. Data will be processed closer to where it’s collected, rather than being sent to a centralized computer, which can speed up the car’s reaction time.

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The company even made some subtle changes to the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament to make her more aerodynamic. She now stands a bit lower, with one leg ahead of the other, and her robe – she doesn’t have wings, as many believe, but flowing sleeves – has been reshaped. The current mascot will remain on the vehicle models already in production, but any all-new vehicles will use the more wind-slippery Spirit.

The Spectre stems from the 102EX, a fully-electric concept car based on the Phantom and shown in 2011, and then the 103EX design study. Enough buyers were interested that the program continued, and Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce, has since announced that the company will be a “fully electric motor car brand” by 2030. The Spectre began its initial testing in September 2021.

The French Riviera program includes circuit and high-speed banked testing, standing water, and everyday road driving. Once it’s finished, the Spectre will continue being tested in other key markets globally.