Rolls-Royce CEO wants an electric Phantom
Click above for high-res gallery of RR Phantom in the Autoblog garage
Short of the biggest SUVs, Rolls-Royce stands out in the mind of the eco-conscious public as a symbol of earth-munching decadence. But that may change if Tom Purves has anything to say about it. And he does, being the company's new CEO. Bringing in a fresh perspective to the ultimate luxury brand after taking the helm just a few months ago, Purves recently drove sister-company MINI's new electric vehicle, and a lightbulb aptly lit over his head with the idea to create an electric Phantom. Not a hybrid, but a full megawatt-powered limousine.
The way Purves sees it, we're not far away from cities banning polluting vehicles altogether. And as many Rolls-Royce owners live in major metropolitan centers, an electric Rolls makes perfect sense. With a little help from parent company BMW, Purves figures they could engineer the e-Rolls in-house. And far from betraying the Spirit of Ecstasy, Purves says an electric powertrain would offer the epitome of Rolls-Royce motoring – whisper quiet with instant torque delivery. Realization of the battery-powered Phantom is probably still a few years away, but it could be here sooner than we think.
Gallery: Review: 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom
[Source: CAR magazine]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
coolremo 2:12PM (10/23/2008)
gay.
also, first!
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Andrew T 2:44PM (10/23/2008)
Im glad your so open about your sexuality.
coolremo 2:47PM (10/23/2008)
i'm glad "your" too stupid to spell.
Andrew T 2:54PM (10/23/2008)
Albert Einstein was a horrible speller as well. You've managed to prove nothing.
Still glad you're so open about your sexuality...
AkulaX1 3:18PM (10/23/2008)
Andrew good comeback on the spelling. I'm tired of ppl resorting to spelling when they cant prove their point.
coolremo 3:30PM (10/23/2008)
yes nice comeback. i'm sure you are as smart as albert einstein. i still find it pathetic if you don't know the difference between "you're" and "your".
@ akulax1: there was no point to prove. Andrew T made a lame joke, so i responded to it. i didn't "resort to spelling" cause i couldn't prove my point.
Andrew T 4:24PM (10/23/2008)
This is getting ridiculous. I never claimed I am as smart as Einstein. I was just saying that you cant base a person's intellect of their spelling. Obviously, you haven't grasped such a concept before. If you really want to get technical, then start capitalizing what needs to be capitalized. You know, like the beginning of your sentences and names. I also don't know how you make the assumption that I don't know the difference between your and you're. It's a common spelling error.
All you contributed to the discussion of this article was
"gay" and "first", which equates to nothing. Ive always looked at the comment section of Autoblog to be a place to discuss cars, not make pointless a juvenile comments. Until you can grow up and look past a few tiny spelling errors, I suggest you read from the sidelines.
Thanks and good luck to you.
-Andrew T
coolremo 11:49PM (10/23/2008)
well i guess your the bigger man
Brandon 2:13PM (10/23/2008)
I think that this is an excellent idea. This indicates that someone is actually thinking at the helm of these high end manufacturers. For years, I have always felt that these vehicles should be the pinnacle for design and engineering. They should be the showcase of the best of the best in the engineering world, simply because of their power, presence and price.
If BMW can actually pull this off, the entire motoring world will be better for it!
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bill 2:14PM (10/23/2008)
We are entering into the theatre of the absurd with this one. An electric Rolls Royce? How about a plug in stealth fighter for crimanilly sakes. I can hear the conversation now. Extremely wealthy owner asks Jeeves if his Roller is charged enough to make the run to the executive 7-11 for gray poupon, and Jeeves advises his stinking rich boss that the batteries have not recovered from the recent trip to the saddle shop for fittings.
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VladdyTrout 2:22PM (10/23/2008)
Oh God no!!! That defeats the whole purpose of owning a Royce. Say it ain't so. I'm sure RR owners, if so inclined, also own a Prius or three and may even consider purchasing a Volt. But come on, that's like coverting a massive mega-yacht (like those with helicopter landing pads) and installing sails.
Certain cars should NOT be eco-friendly. Rolls Royce, best car in the world, is one of them.
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dantzig 2:37PM (10/23/2008)
of course rolls royce should make an electric phantom.
there is plenty of room for batteries, and cost is completely irrelevant.
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Torrent 2:40PM (10/23/2008)
And then it will outweigh the H2.
Andrew T 2:48PM (10/23/2008)
I love the idea, but the feasibility is something else. The Phantom is a rolling brick, aerodynamically and from a weight perspective. Until batterys energy density increases, we will be left with an ultra-heavy RR EV, with a poor range.
So unless they completely re-define RR, I kind of dont seeing this possible. Unless the do release one with poor range like i was talking about...
Andrew T 2:57PM (10/23/2008)
its like someone punched my face when i wrote that second statement
*So unless they completely re-define RR, I dont see this as possible. Unless they do release one with poor range like i was talking about...*
pragmatic 3:30PM (10/23/2008)
And then it will outweigh the H2.
It's already pretty close. The current Phantom weights in at 5800lbs and the H2 weighs 6400lbs.
JH 3:55PM (10/23/2008)
I agree, this sort of makes sense in a strange way.
But, I hope this car isn't considered "eco-friendly" by regulators. Sure, tailpipe emissions would be lower, but abusing electricity instead of gas just means more coal, uranium, diverted river or whatever else. Tax the thing like any other Rolls. I know it won't make any difference one way or the other to the environment (RR will sell what, maybe double or triple figures of these worldwide?), I just think one of the privileges of owning one of these needs to be bragging rights for highest operating costs, next to saying screw the surface roads and taking the helicopter.
Sandeep 3:56PM (10/23/2008)
That's my impression as well. Even if the aerodynamics and weight are awful, there's so much space to shove the best of the best (probably at least 2x-3x the batteries of a Tesla) and still have a powerful, *silent, Rolls-Royce. It's not like the owners of these things are pulling a Clarkson and taking them to test tracks (or into pools)...
Kitko 3:18PM (10/23/2008)
Wind turbine, personal nuclear reactor or a stationary bike with a dynamo will come as standard depending on a trim level.
You'll need plenty of electricity to move a small planet around.
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Perry 6:38PM (10/23/2008)
I would never call this a "green" machine. However all new technology starts out expensive and then spreads to the rest of the market. This is the perfect car to shove alot of expensive new technology into because RR customers dont care about price. That would bring down the price of the technology for everyday cars. Not to mention it would probably still be more efficient than a toyota prius and ALOT faster than the standard gas model.
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