How long until we see an electric Rolls Royce Phantom?

An electric Rolls Royce? Perhaps it shouldn't seem such a stretch, as electric motors deliver just the kind of punch a big, heavy limo needs to get around the city. Plus, many of these cars are used to chauffeur rich people around, meaning that top-speed wouldn't be much of a concern and neither would price. After all, the RR brand is one of the most expensive marques in the world already. Electric motors are also nearly silent, just the thing for a brand that stands for luxury and refinement. Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves can imagine a time where cities begin to ban the type of gas-guzzling V12 engines that the company's cars are currently powered by, so an electric powertrain may be a foregone conclusion.

Rolls Royce is currently owned by BMW, a brand that has a bit of experience with electric vehicles, having just debuted its MINI E electric car. Purves believes that between the engineers at his company and BMW, creating an electrically-driven Rolls Royce shouldn't be too tough an assignment and could be ready in short order.

[Source: CAR Magazine]