Rolls-Royce Spectre finishes winter testing

Rolls-Royce has completed the winter testing phase for its all-new electric Spectre coupé. The first electric vehicle ever from the British luxury manufacturer has been subjected to minus 40 degrees at a facility in Sweden to ensure that it’s reliable wherever it’s driven. Due in 2023, the Spectre is described as “much more than a product. It is a symbol for our bright, bold electric future” according to Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Rolls-Royce’s CEO.

He continued, “The extraordinary undertaking of educating Spectre to think and behave like a Rolls-Royce will cover 2.5 million kilometres, which is a simulation of more than 400 years of use for a Rolls-Royce.” Cold weather testing includes ensuring door rubbers, bushing compounds, fastening materials, and bonding agents all perform correctly at extreme temperatures, along with the efficiency of the car’s climate control and cooling systems.

Engineers also use the low traction surfaces presented by snow and ice to create ‘circumstances at low speeds that would ordinarily occur at high speeds’ to ensure the Spectre’s handling is stable and predictable. The Spectre is based on an evolution of the manufacturer’s Architecture of Luxury platform, and ushers in an era referred to as Rolls-Royce 3.0, with a far greater level of computing power onboard. Cabling has increased from around 1.2 miles in previous models to more than 4 miles in Spectre.

One intriguing benefit of the Rolls-Royce 3.0 layout is that the battery, with wiring and piping channels between the floor of the car and top of the battery packs, has effectively been turned into 700kg of sound deadening, which along with near-silent electric motors, should make the Spectre even more quiet and refined than current models.