Rolls-Royce going electric

Rolls-Royce could produce just electric cars in about 22 years.

It will be “full electric” by 2040 to meet international rules, chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos told the Financial Times.

The British luxury car maker only offers 12-cylinder petrol engines at present and has said it will continue that as long as possible.

A 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 powers its Cullinan SUV, for instance, revealed on May 10.

But the United Kingdom and France intend banning cars that run without electric power by 2040 to meet emission standards.

And Muller-Otvos believes other countries like the US and Middle East will do so too.

Rolls-Royce expects its first electric vehicle within the next decade, phasing out existing engines over several decades.

Muller-Otvos is reported last year as saying electrification is the way forward for the company, without any intermediate steps like hybridisation.

Rolls-Royce had shown a design for a 2040s all-electric autonomous car and other concepts previously, including the Vision Next 100 concept in 2016. It was built as part of parent company BMW’s centenary celebrations.

In 2011 it also made the 102EX as a test bed vehicle, described at the time as the world’s first ultra-luxury battery electric vehicle, based on the Phantom. Nicknamed the Phantom EE (experimental electric), its V12 was replaced with a 290kW, 800Nm combination of lithium-ion battery pack and dual electric motors.

The Phantom EE had a 200km range.