Rolls-Royce Finally Announces an Electric Car. Its Name? Spectre.

The Spectre we’re talking about today doesn’t have anything to do with James Bond, but it does involve another historic British property: Rolls-Royce.

The luxury automaker announced on Wednesday that it’s finally getting into the EV arena. Its first fully electric vehicle will be called Spectre, it will begin on-road testing soon and it will be available near the end of 2023. While this is a significant development for a company known as much for its stupendous internal combustion engines as its so-called “magic carpet ride,” the more consequential announcement is that the company plans to exclusively sell electric vehicles by 2030.

“With this new product we set out our credentials for the full electrification of our entire product portfolio by 2030,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in a press release made up almost entirely of his personal comments instead of specific details about the vehicles or electrification process. “By then, Rolls-Royce will no longer be in the business of producing or selling any internal combustion engine products.”

Here’s what we do know about Spectre so far: It will indeed be a car, not one of the SUVs or crossovers that many automakers are relying on these days for higher profits (including Rolls-Royce with the Cullinan). And diverging from the secrecy many automakers attempt to maintain when testing new cars, especially in the high-end world Rolls-Royce inhabits, Müller-Ötvös says the testing process for the Spectre will be publicized.

“This is not a prototype. It’s the real thing, it will be tested in plain sight and our clients will take first deliveries of the car in the fourth quarter of 2023,” Müller-Ötvös said. He added, “You will see these test cars on roads, around the world. Look out for them – they will be in plain sight. They will be tested in all conditions and over all terrains on their multi-million-mile journey – that will literally accelerate Rolls-Royce into the future.”

That doesn’t sound much like a spectre to us. But as Rolls-Royce is relatively late in announcing its electrification plans, we’re glad the marque is coming out strong. Now we wait for the first appearance in the wild.