Luxury automobiles and electrification appear to be a harmonious combination. High-end vehicles strive for a smooth and quiet driving experience, characteristics that electric powertrains excel at providing.
Nevertheless, not all electric powertrains are created with the same level of sophistication, and silence is not inherent in all of them. Just as the silence of electric powertrains varies, spending more on an electric vehicle (EV) doesn’t always translate to a proportional increase in driving range.
Recently unveiled are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) numbers for Rolls-Royce’s inaugural EV, the 2024 Spectre. Despite its starting price at $422,750, the Spectre’s range doesn’t outshine vehicles significantly more affordable. The Spectre Black Badge, equipped with 23-inch wheels, garners the lowest EPA rating, estimating a range of 264 miles.
Opting out of the Black Badge treatment adds two miles to that figure. The Black Badge Spectre, riding on 22-inch wheels, boasts a range of 280 miles, while the standard Spectre, also on 22-inchers, claims the best estimate of 291 miles.
These figures align with the BMW i7, which shares a 102.0-kWh battery with the Spectre. In a 75-mph highway fuel-economy test route, the i7 xDrive60 achieved 260 miles with 21-inch wheels.
While the Spectre’s range may not be extraordinary, the question arises – does it truly matter? Comparable vehicles like the Genesis Electrified G80, at a fraction of the price, boast an EPA-estimated range of 282 miles.
However, the real consideration for Rolls-Royce customers may not be exceeding the 300-mile mark. For shorter journeys, they might opt for alternative luxury transport, and for longer trips requiring refueling, a convenient call to the chopper may be in order.
It seems that range might not be the paramount concern for a Rolls-Royce customer; rather, the focus lies on luxury. Following a preliminary test earlier this year, the Spectre was described as “so silent that to experience it is to ruin every other vehicle, including the rest of the Rolls lineup.”