Electric Rolls Royce Spectre in next phase of 2.5 million kilometre test program

The all-electric and hyper-luxury Rolls Royce Spectre has entered the second phase of what surely must be the most enduring testing program in the world.

Having completed its first testing phase in April just 55 kilometres from the Arctic Circle, the Spectre is slated to drive 2.5 million kilometres throughout the full length of the extremely extensive program

This next phase of testing, which will cover 625,000km according to the storied automotive and aerospace brand, will be (almost) a world away from the icy landscapes of the Arctic Circle, however.

Instead, the Spectre will drive across the French Riviera – more than just a few times, it would appear. While much testing will be conducted at the Autodrome de Miramas facility, it will also be driven along Côte d’Azur roads.

If you happen to be lucky enough to be holidaying there – do let us know if you see it!

The Spectre is billed as the “most anticipated Rolls-Royce ever,” according to Rolls Royce Motors Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvö.

“Free from the restrictions connected to the internal combustion engine, our battery-electric vehicle will offer the purest expression of the Rolls-Royce experience in the marque’s 118-year history,” he said in a statement.

“This latest testing phase proves a suite of advanced technologies that underpin a symbolic shift for Rolls-Royce as it progresses towards a bright, bold, all-electric future.”

Underpinning these bold statements are equally ambitious technical details. Rolls Royce says the Spectre will be the marque’s most aerodynamic vehicle to date with a drag co-efficient of 0.25 (although we note this is reasonably far off the likes of the Model S (0.208) and the solar-powered Lightyear One (0.2).)

Rolls Royce thrills about the connectivity of the Spectre also, stating it ” features 141,200 sender-receiver relations and has more than 1,000 functions and more than 25,000 sub-functions.” This is around three times more signals than a given out by a typical Rolls-Royce, apparently.

The ability to process so much information gives the Spectre a “decentralised intelligence” according to the marque which makes the car more responsive.

This is where the Riviera program comes in. Rolls Royce says its most experienced engineers will create dedicated controls for the 25,000 sub-functions so the car can respond quickly to weather, driver behaviour and various road conditions.

The goal is to deliver the Rolls Royce “magic carpet ride” experience, which let’s face it should be rigueur de jour for the French Riviera.