Rolls-Royce has concluded a gruelling schedule of winter testing for its very first electric car.
The Spectre, due to enter production in 2023, has been subjected to temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees centigrade.
The evaluation means that Rolls-Royce has now completed 25 percent of its 1.6-million-mile test programme for the Spectre. When finished, the regime will have subjected the car to the equivalent of 400 years of use.
A chilling Spectre
Arjeplog in Sweden has become the location of choice for car manufacturers undertaking winter testing. Located less than 35 miles from the Arctic Circle, it offers the chance for vehicles to be exposed to extreme cold weather conditions.
The freezing terrain has allowed Rolls-Royce to test everything from the choice of materials for door seals, through to how the electric drivetrain copes in a cold climate. Ensuring the heating system works properly was also high on the list of priorities.
Snow and ice allowed engineers to tune the Spectre’s handling in low-grip conditions. This apparently included making sure the new EV maintains the ‘waftability that defines the Rolls-Royce experience’.
The Electric Super Coupe
As part of the winter testing update, Rolls-Royce has also provided more details about the Spectre’s construction. Designated as an ‘Electric Super Coupe’, its styling has been influenced by the Phantom Coupe, along with classic Rolls-Royce models.
Constructed using an all-aluminium architecture, the Spectre is said to be on a scale much larger than previous Rolls-Royces. It becomes the marque’s first car since 1926 to be fitted with 23-inch alloy wheels.
Clever packaging from the aluminium spaceframe has enabled Rolls-Royce to give the battery packs a secondary function. Channels beneath the floor of the Spectre will allow the lithium-ion cells to act as 700kg of extra sound deadening.
Such complexity means the Spectre is home to seven kilometres of cabling, with the car described as ‘the most connected Rolls-Royce ever’.
‘A seismic shift’
Completing the winter testing schedule in Arjeplog is a major milestone for Rolls-Royce. However, there is still 75 percent of the huge evaluation schedule left to go before 2023.
Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce, said: “The announcement of every new Rolls-Royce motor car carries a great weight of expectation, but Spectre is unquestionably the most anticipated product in the marque’s modern history. This is because it is much more than a product. It is a symbol for our bright, bold electric future, and it represents a seismic shift in our powertrain technology.
“It is for this reason that we have created a testing programme that is as significant and historical as Spectre itself. 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. Today, I can confirm that 25 percent of this journey is now complete, and the results have met our most ambitious expectations.”
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