Will Rolls Royce Buyers Go For An Electric Flying Lady?

by David Kiley (RSS feed)
Feb 20th 2011 at 3:01PM

When the Rolls Royce 102EX is unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the fling lady hood ornament will have a decidedly different glow. In fact, it will be glowing.

That's because the 102EX is electric. Yes. Instead of gassing up, Rolls Royce owners may one day soon be plugging in.

To be sure, Rolls, owned and managed by German automaker BMW AG, is not ready to start selling high-voltage Rollers. It is a "one-off," fully electric powered Rolls Royce Phantom. The car will tour during 2011, serving as a test bed to gather a bank of research data that will inform future decisions on alternative drive-trains for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

"We have engineered the world's first battery electric vehicle for the ultra-luxury segment," said CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös. "With this vehicle, we begin an exploration into alternative drive-trains, seeking clarity on which alternative technologies may be suitable to drive Rolls-Royce motor cars of the future."

The CEO also says that the car will spark debate about the role and future of electric drivetrains in the luxury segment, and that is what he is looking forward to--the debate.

Of course, there are electrics that have been entering the luxe segment. Tesla Motors' electric roadster costs in excess of $100,000.