The Rolls-Royce 102EX electric car concept. Image: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
When Rolls-Royce showed its Phantom-based electric car concept, the 102EX, at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, it caught a lot of people off guard. Rolls-Royce, after all, had a reputation for building the finest sedans, coupes and convertibles, all equipped with ample power and built without compromise. Could an electric car be built that would meet the expectations of the worlds most critical customers?
As Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös told Car and Driver regarding customer feedback on the 102EX, “The results were ambivalent.” Customers praised the car’s acceleration, silence and smoothness, but objected to the long charging times and insufficient range. We can imagine that Rolls-Royce buyers might object to sharing quick chargers with the likes of the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i, too.
While a pure electric car isn’t in the near future for Rolls-Royce, a plug-in hybrid (like the Chevy Volt or the Fisker Karma) might be. When asked about alternatives to electric cars, Müller-Ötvös said that the plug-in hybrid configuration could potentially offer Rolls-Royce customers “the advantages of both worlds.”
We wouldn’t install a home charging system for your next Rolls-Royce just yet, though.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
