Just a few years ago Rolls-Royce was still wary about electrification, saying it would only come out with its first electric vehicle only “when the time is right,” eventually setting a target of 2030. So the Rolls-Royce Spectre, the brand’s first production EV, was somewhat of a shock (pun intended) when it debuted in 2022. If Rolls’ engineers – and more importantly, its customers – were ready for electrification much sooner than they thought, maybe the entire industry could be, too.
First deliveries of the Spectre began a few months ago, with only a single powertrain configuration available at launch. For now, every Spectre has a 102-kWh battery pack and a pair of electric motors that put out a total of 577 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque – a bit better than the “adequate” figures Rolls used to tout. Now, as first noticed by Car And Driver, the EPA has posted its official range ratings for the Spectre, and the EV has a longer range than Rolls-Royce initially estimated.
When equipped with 22-inch wheels, the smaller option, the Spectre is rated by the EPA at 291 miles of range. That’s quite a bit more than Rolls-Royce’s own estimate of 260 miles, and 11 miles greater than the Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 SUV, the only other EV currently on sale that comes close to the Spectre in terms of luxuriousness. (Admittedly, the EQS is less aerodynamic than the Spectre, but the Maybach has a slightly bigger battery back, too.) Opt for the available 23-inch wheels and the Spectre’s range drops to 266 miles, still a bit better than Rolls’ estimate.
The Spectre’s EPA filing also confirms that a higher-performance Black Badge variant is coming soon. That’s not a surprise, as Rolls-Royce’s Black Badge models have been huge successes for the brand, greatly lowering the average age of its buyers while raking in extra cash. In keeping with other Black Badge models, the Spectre Black Badge should get blacked-out exterior trim (and yes, badges), unique wheel designs, new paint and leather color options, more powerful motors, and upgraded brakes and suspension. Expect the Black Badge to cost around $50K more than a standard Spectre, which already starts north of $420,000.
With 22-inch wheels the Spectre Black Badge will have an EPA range of 280 miles while choosing 23s will drop that to 264 miles, both still an improvement over Rolls’ estimate for the standard car.
“Shouldn’t such an expensive, high-end car have a much longer range?” you might ask. For Rolls-Royce, the answer is no. The average Rolls owner only puts about 3,000 miles on their car per year, working out to about a dozen charges per year, and for any journey longer than the Spectre’s range, they’re just gonna fly. Charging infrastructure for Spectre buyers isn’t a concern either – you’ll have someone go charge it for you, or just plug in at home – but in the off chance an owner wants to road trip their Spectre, it go from 10 percent to 80 percent charge in 34 minutes with a max charge rate of 190 kW.
2022 marked the first time in Rolls-Royce’s 118-year history that the company sold more than 6,000 cars. Sales have been slightly down so far in 2023 thanks to the discontinuation of the Dawn and Wraith, plus the ramp-up of Spectre production, but don’t expect this small sales slump to last for long. Rolls-Royce says Spectre order books are full up until 2025, and the addition of the Black Badge model should only bolster its success.
We’ve reached out to Rolls-Royce for comment and will update this post if we hear back.