Rolls-Royce Owners Not Thrilled On 102 EX

William Maley - Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com

June 12, 2011

Currently, the new thing in the automotive industry is showing off electric vehicles. One the surprises from March's Geneva Motor Show was the Rolls-Royce 102 EX concept. Rolls took a Phantom sedan, removed the 6.75L V12 engine and replaced it with a two electric motors and a massive 71-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. Figures for the 102 EX stand at 290kW (388 HP), torque of 800Nm (590 lb-ft of torque), and a range of 100 miles.

Recently, Rolls-Royce sent the 102 EX on a tour to let owners and enthusiasts drive it and give feedback to Rolls. When it was all said and done, the feedback showed owners and enthusiasts weren't sold on the idea.

Rolls-Royce CEO, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes said in a interview with Automotive News Europe, he thinks the Phantom EV wasn't a success due to most of their owners and buyers living outside of major cities, making the 100 mile range of 102 EX kind of moot.

"Let's wait and see what our customers are telling us, but hybrids have a certain capability to deliver both electric driving combined with a normal combustion engine, and that might be a solution," said Mueller-Oetvoes.

Source: Automotive News Europe

Well DUH

(I was going to say that in bright red, but thought it would be too garish a colour in a Rolls-Royce thread.)