While the Mercedes EQS is aiming to beat the Tesla Model S Plaid in luxury, the German automaker has nothing on the new Rolls-Royce Silent Shadow
The British luxury brand, often found in music videos and Grey Poupon commercials, is the latest to announce (via Bloomberg) an EV currently in the works. Using the Phantom as its platform, Rolls-Royce has decided to embroider the name of its first EV by encapsulating one of the finer benefits of electrification: silence.
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While we don’t know when the car is going to arrive, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes has confirmed that it’s on the way. "Electrification fits perfect with Rolls-Royce — it's torquey, it's super-silent," he said. "We are not known for roaring loud engines and exhaust noises whatsoever, and that is a big benefit.”
Which is no doubt how the Silent Shadow got its name. Rolls-Royce is well known for picking spectral names for its cars, like Phantom, Ghost, Wraith, and so on. And considering how quiet electric car engines are compared to internal combustion engines, and the fact there’s already a Silver Shadow, calling the electric model the Silent Shadow is a genius bit of naming.
However, according to an older report from InsideEVs, the Silent Shadow won’t be a straight electric conversion of the Silver Shadow. Instead it is expected to be its own unique model, based on the Rolls-Royce’s Phantom platform and developed alongside the BMW i7.
While some high-end car owners will enjoy the roar of a powerful engine, which they’ll miss after the transition to electric, Rolls-Royce owners apparently won’t. The cars are already known for being quiet beasts, and scrapping the internal combustion engine is only going to emphasize that. Rolls-Royce has previously confirmed that it will be skipping over hybrids, and jumping straight from gas-powered cars to all-electric models.
Unfortunately, that’s about all we know about the Silent Shadow. Still knowing Rolls-Royce, it’s going to be an exercise in excess. The company isn’t known for half measure, and whatever the Silent Shadow ends up being like, it’s going to be one of the most luxurious electric cars money can buy. And considering that the cheapest Rolls-Royce starts at $311K, the Silent Shadow will likely be the most expensive EV ever made.
Rolls-Royce vehicles are also not known to be thin-and-light machines. The Silent Shadow will likely weigh over 6,000 pounds, meaning it will require a large battery pack to ensure decent mileage. At least that should mean it will come equipped with fast charging, as there’s little point in having a luxury EV if it only goes 50 miles and requires a multi-hour recharge.
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