Rolls-Royce Basically Ignored The Big Problem Affecting Electric Vehicles

The two biggest hurdles potential electric car buyers face are probably cost and charging, but with one of the most expensive EVs around, Rolls-Royce doesn't seem all that concerned with either. Certainly, nobody is going to call the new Spectre cheap. At $420,000 — before you add on options like the starlight door-liners with their twinkling fiber-optic constellations — the exclusive new electric coupe makes a Tesla Model S Plaid look positively cheap.

Then again, Elon Musk's car doesn't come with acres of hand-stitched leather, "magic carpet" ride dynamics, and the sort of exclusivity that comes with the Spirit of Ecstasy on the hood. What Tesla drivers do have, though, is access to the Supercharger network. 

Spectre, according to the U.S. EPA, should go around 260 miles between charges. In our own experience with Rolls-Royce's first EV, that number seemed surprisingly conservative. Even so, at some point owners will need to plug Spectre in, but according to the automaker, they won't be too concerned with the state of public charging.

For a lot of people considering buying an electric car, the worry of where they'll top up the battery while out on the road is a significant one. Not so for Rolls-Royce's well-heeled clientele, however. "They don't necessarily face the same issues that we do," Rhodri Good, product and launch manager for Spectre, says with more than a little understatement. That's because, in its extensive pre-launch research, Rolls-Royce discovered that would-be Spectre owners simply aren't concerned about periodic long-distance drives. "The resounding feedback was 'we want to charge at home,'" Good explains.

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Of course, with an average of 7+ cars in their garage according to that research, the typical Rolls-Royce owner isn't exactly hurting for choice when it comes to road trips. That garage often already has EV charging facilities installed too, Good says, even if none of the cars in the fleet are currently electric. Others may have an EV — often a Taycan or a Tesla — but "they recognize the harmony between the electric powertrain" and what Rolls-Royce is known for.

That's not to say Spectre is unwelcome at public chargers. With 195 kW DC fast charging support, around nine minutes plugged in can deliver about 62 miles of driving range; there's a database of charger locations in the EV's navigation system, too. Nonetheless, it's a reminder that luxury doesn't just mean a lavish experience behind the wheel, but the freedom to leave your electric car at home and drive something else instead.