Rolls-Royce Phantom: An electrifying ride

As we were hurtling down the curve at Dubai Autodrome at speeds exceeding the legal limits I thought fleetingly about the incongruity of it all. There we were on the race track in a Rolls-Royce Phantom trying to race a car that was meant to be driven at leisure to enjoy its numerous attributes. What was even more intriguing for me was why Rolls-Royce, the ultimate luxury carmaker, is experimenting with electric vehicles.

For that was what we'd been testing: the Rolls-Royce 102EX, also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric. An electric Rolls-Royce? Whoever asked for such a radical alternative to V12 power? The answer is nobody. Yet. But Rolls-Royce was not going to be left behind while the rest of the automotive industry sped into the production of alternative energy engines.

Fuelled by the belief that V12 engines are not sustainable in the long term, Rolls-Royce authorised an engineering team to build a sensible alternative to the V12-powered Ghosts and Phantoms. The team's intention was not to reinvent the electric car. They simply assembled proven electrical components into a Phantom saloon with minimal changes to it.

A battery pack and electrical controllers were configured to fit where the 6.7-litre V12 and six-speed ZF automatic transmission are normally placed. In the space vacated by the fuel tank, a pair of AC motors was installed along with a single-speed transmission to engage the rear wheels. Boot space remained the same, and the increase in weight was reasonable - 181kg, compared to the three-tonne weight of the original. 

Silence is golden

During my teaser test drive, the electric propulsion system performed with aplomb. Like the standard V12 edition, the Phantom EE accelerated from rest position with fluid grace. What was unnerving was the absence of sound; no muted roar as the V12 takes wing, no vibrations as the engine takes hold. It's almost like there is no engine!

With what is arguably the most refined chassis of any car on the road, the Phantom is generally one of the quietest cars. Combine that with the lack of engine noise and it's almost silent. The sensation you get while cruising in the car is of floating. Look out and you know you are moving; if you close your eyes, you feel like the car is standing still.

When you press down on the accelerator relentlessly, there is an occasional hint of a hum. But generally it's the blast of air and hiss of tyres that you get if you strain your ears enough.

Where the electric version really scores over the regular Phantom is while overtaking. While the V12 gives a moment's hesitation when pressed forward, as the gears change, the electric version just surges forward without a hitch when the accelerator is floored. The same is the case when you floor the car from standstill.

According to Rolls-Royce, the 0-100kmph dash takes under 8 seconds, compared to the 5.7 seconds the regular Phantom is said to take. However, numbers are not what the Phantom EE is all about.

Electric vehicles usually take a beating when it comes to the range of the battery pack, but in the 102EX, the battery pack once charged is said to be good for 201km. While that isn't a lot more than most other electric cars around, the manufacturers think it should more than meet an average Rolls owner's needs.

The car's massive battery - it weighs around 640kg - comprises 96 lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide pouch cells, arranged in five packs to replace the V12 and gearbox in the regular Phantom. A trio of 3-kilowatt chargers are mounted up top. The car can recharge - a simple plug-and-play operation - in about eight hours, on 220 volts, or 20 hours on 110 volts. The socket replaces the fuel filler on a conventional Phantom, casting a blue glow around it.

The interior too has undergone a change. The normally luxe interior trim has been replaced by the experimental Corinova leather. Rolls-Royce claims it is more natural. This trim looks and feels like traditional leather, with a nice grain, and a soft feel. Yet, it's also tough enough to serve as floor covering. There are also lamb's wool throw rugs.

Instead of classic wood panelling, the car is fitted with casings made of aluminised woven glass strands. For contrast, flat areas are trimmed in aluminium foil weave. 

Go with the glow

The exterior is the same however, except that there are no exhaust pipes, naturally. Where the fuel cap should be is a transparent filler flap, showcasing the charging connection socket and the LEDs that glow blue during charging, green when the battery is replenished, and red if some electrical issue arises.

The Phantom EE has a new paint - Atlantic Chrome, which is accented with ceramic nano particles - that gives a deeper lustre. A composite-plastic Spirit of Ecstasy has an LED lamp in its base that gives it a soft blue glow, fully visible at night.

There's no doubt that the Rolls-Royce engineers have excelled themselves in tuning the Phantom EE. That, I suppose, was the easy part. How to make it a mass-production car that's accepted by its millionaire owners will definitely be the more difficult part.

"This is not a compromise, as you can see," says Rolls-Royce's regional director, James Crichton. "We do realise that the future is going to be different car technologies - the electric, the hydrogen, the hybrid. This is our first step in trying to determine what customer feeling is towards an electric Rolls-Royce.

"We've tested the car in Singapore, Tokyo, and the US. What we want to know is whether they feel this will be our future. Customers here who tested the car said they enjoyed the Electric more! That's fantastic feedback."

Even though the initial reaction was largely surprise, the performance of the car has been very well-received, he says. "Our customers were not expecting it to be so powerful, or as well finished. Especially since this is a prototype, and not a production car that's been worked on for years."

But where electric cars are concerned, the inevitable question that always arises is recharge time. "The thing that will determine the fate of electric cars is how long it will take to charge the battery and how heavy the battery is," says James.

That may well be the critical factor in deciding whether the Phantom EE will go into production.

Even if it does, it may never be more than a niche vehicle. But what a vehicle it can be!