Rolls Royce 102ex

Rolls-Royce isn't against creating an electric model, but batteries first need to support the range demands of the brand's ultra-wealthy clientele.

Rolls-Royce is not what you might characterize as one of the greenest automakers on the market. Its vehicles tend to be rather large, saddled with lots of plush leather, thick carpets and wood trim, and powered by twelve-cylinder engines in excess of six and a half liters. But that doesn't mean that the stoic British automaker isn't trying to clean up its act, even if its customers haven't responded in kind.

Rolls-Royce is not the first marque you'd think of when it comes to environmentally friendly transportation. Its cars are big – often the size of SUVs – and pack ginormous twelve-cylinder engines displacing over six and a half liters. Those upright Parthenon grilles can't be very aerodynamic, either. But the way the wind is blowing these days, Goodwood will have to get with the program sooner or later.

Rolls-Royce 102EX Phantom Experimental Electric - Click above for high-res image gallery