Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom Being Considered?

Rumors of an electric Rolls-Royce Phantom are swirling again at the Goodwood Festival. We've been hearing that the possibility is under serious consideration by the top brass at Rolls-Royce.

Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves has talked about the subject, saying: “Many of our customers do small mileages exclusively in the city….for these customers, an electric Rolls-Royce would be ideal…..we stand for unmatched refinement and you can’t get a quieter and less intrusive engine than a well engineered electric motor…..we also stand for strong and instant torque – and an electric motor delivers maximum torque instantly. The ‘waftability’ would be fantastic.”

Sounds like a pretty strong endorsement to me. Meanwhile, Auto Express is saying that a Rolls-Royce spokesman confirmed, while speaking to the press, that an electric Phantom is something that's under consideration. The spokesman added that the weight of a lithium-ion battery pack wouldn't be a problem for such a heavy car with a V12 engine like the Phantom.

The characteristics for an electric Phantom would certainly be fitting with Rolls-Royce's goals in a vehicle, and I could definitely see there being a market for one. However, I think a better plan of action would be a range-extended electric Phantom that would enable longer journeys as well.