• Rolls-Royce CEO is talking electric after witnessing the new Mini EV

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    Rolls-Royce is seriously considering building electric versions of its cars, probably as plug-in hybrids, the company’s new CEO, Tom Purvis, says the company needs to prepare itself for much-tougher inner-city CO2 legislation, and believes that the near-silence of electric propulsion, and the fact that full torque is available from a standstill. Having just driven the new electric Mini, Purves was ‘bowled over’, raving about its power delivery and quietude. He now thinks such a powerplant would be perfect for his own brand as well. Purves also envisions a future where traditional combustion-powered cars might be banned outright from city centers – not an unrealistic idea, given London’s current congestion charge and the vehement opposition to larger vehicles in the UK and Europe. When we observe how their owners use cars, you soon see that they do either huge open-road mileages, or relatively small distances in urban areas, Purvis believes that an electric Rolls-Royce would be ideal for the second category.


    Purves thinks the technology to turn out an all-electric Rolls-Royce exists now, and would require only a few years engineering to develop a suitable solution.
    Source

    Posted in Topics:Transport, Tags: , on October 24, 2008