Rolls-Royce may be a boutique marque, but even ultra-exclusive luxury automakers must adapt their lineups to increasingly stringent emissions regulations. Consequently, it’s only a matter of time before the Spirit of Ecstasy will be placed in front of an electric motor rather than the iconic 6.75-liter V12 engine.
It might come sooner than you think seeing as how the Goodwood-based brand took the legal measures last year to register the “Silent Shadow” moniker. The name is a throwback to the classic Silver Shadow model and now Rolls-Royce’s CEO has confirmed it will be put to good use on a production model. Speaking with Bloomberg Television, Torsten Müller-Ötvös said that while the EV is “still a secret,” the moniker “will of course obviously be a brand-new Rolls-Royce, rest assured.”
It won’t look as flamboyant as the 103EX seen here, but the fully electric concept unveiled in 2016 was conceived as a window into Rolls-Royce’s future design. It goes without saying RR isn’t willing to go into any details since it’s too soon for that, but a report from Autocar published at the beginning of the year stated the high-end EV would be based on the Phantom.
We’re expecting the Silent Shadow to borrow some of the bits and pieces from the next-generation BMW 7 Series, which will spawn a zero-emissions i7 model to take on the Mercedes EQS. Despite using different platforms, the two models will likely share the electric motors and battery packs. Not only that, but the report goes on to say even the axles might be more or less the same.
There’s a pretty good chance the Silent Shadow will compete in the heavyweight class as the car might tip the scales at around 3,000 kilograms (6,613 pounds). A huge battery with a capacity of more than 100 kWh is expected to offer a minimum of 311 miles (500 kilometers) of range since anything less than that wouldn’t be worthy of the Rolls-Royce hood ornament.
Following the Silent Shadow’s release, a fully electric Cullinan SUV could follow to compete with potential rivals from Maybach and Bentley.
Source: Automotive News Europe
