Rolls-Royce considers making an electric car
British luxury car maker Rolls-Royce might be set to venture into the realm of electric cars. At the Frankfurt International Auto Show 2015, Torsten Muller-Otvos, head of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Ltd, revealed the possibility of a fully electric Rolls-Royce sedan. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of German car maker, BMW. Its headquarters is in Goodwood, England.
“Suppose we find a battery technology that can offer ranges that are acceptable to our customers,” said Muller-Otvos in an interview with the Automotive News. “I can definitely imagine a fully electric Rolls-Royce,” he added.
In recent years, even elite automobile manufacturers have been inclined towards developing emission-free vehicles because of increasing regulatory pressure on car makers from governments worldwide.
Rolls-Royce, however, has been hesitant at using electric technology in its cars, contending that electric batteries are heavy. Torsten mentioned at a breakfast meeting with reporters in 2014 that “a Rolls-Royce can't be a compromise,” reported USA Today.
He clearly mentioned the luxury brand won’t imbibe the electric car technology. Instead, the car maker preferred to concentrate on a convertible version of the Rolls-Royce Wraith, a four-seat coupe, which is due in 2016.
The company introduced a Rolls-Royce electric-powered Phantom Experimental Electric in 2011. The Rolls-Royce 102EX was the first battery electric car in the super luxury range of vehicles.
The company intended this sedan to serve as a test bed and gave buyers and media celebrities the chance to experience its alternative drive-train technology. The global drive program included Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America, from which the company gathered valuable feedback.
Porsche unveiled its Mission E concept at the Frankfurt auto show that melds an 800-volt drive system with a suave design. The four-seat sports car has a driving range of 500 km on a single battery charge. Audi also introduced an electric SUV, “e-tron Quattro,” with an all-electric drive system.
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