Rolls-Royce introduced the 102EX concept in 2011, but the company still hasn’t launched an electric vehicle.
That isn’t too surprising, but Bentley hasn’t been coy about their plans for electrification. Earlier this year, the company announced all of their models would be offered with a hybrid powertrain by 2023 and their first electric vehicle will arrive by 2025.
Rolls-Royce is undoubtedly aware of this, but it seems like they not rushing to launch an electric vehicle. Quite the opposite actually as Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös told Roadshow they will launch an EV “when the time is right.”
Also Read: Rolls-Royce Holding Back EV Until Tech And Infrastructure Improve
Müller-Ötvös didn’t say when that would occur, but he revealed the company isn’t going to follow the dual powertrain strategy employed by Bentley. Instead, the company will skip plug-in hybrids and focus exclusively on electric vehicles.
A number of automakers also adopting the same approach and Müller-Ötvös believes it makes the most sense. As he explained, “It may be okay for bigger companies to go into hybrids and all sorts of different technologies …” but “we need to make smart decisions on where we invest our money.”
Besides the cost benefits, Müller-Ötvös suggested legislation will change to favor electric vehicles over plug-in hybrids. This will likely occur in city centers where pollution concerns have already seen a handful of vehicles getting banned.
A lot of questions remain, but it appears Rolls-Royce was planning on going electric from an early stage as Müller-Ötvös revealed the Architecture of Luxury, that underpins the Phantom and Cullinan, can support electric vehicles.
