Rolls-Royce looks ready to adopt plug-in hybrid technology within the next three years. A hybrid limousine – surprised?
Torsten Müller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce explained: “It will be essential in two years, maybe not from customer demand but through legal regulation on emissions.” (Emphasis mine – here’s to legal regulation.)
Roll-Royce previously produced an experimental all-electric 102EX that met with disapproval from customers – it could have been the 124-mile range limit, the 24 hours needed to recharge, or the estimated £100,000 it would cost to replace the batteries every three years.
We showed that car to around 100 customers around world, and the reaction we got was ambivalent. A Rolls-Royce cannot come with any kind of compromise, and both the recharging times and the range were not acceptable for our buyers – but with hybrid technology that is no longer a problem. (Torsten Müller-Otvos)
The plug-in hybrid technology will come from parent company BMW, and will be the same plug-in hybrid tech found in the X5 eDrive.
EVs, alternative/renewable energy, hybrid limousines – it’s all fast becoming the new normal.
Sources: Autoblog and Auto Express.
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