Photo: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce is preparing thoroughly to launch its first all-electric vehicle, the Spectre. The latest from the brand notes a stunning accomplishment by the testing team, which has managed to drive almost two million kilometers across the world. The program is set to be complete when they reach 2.5 million kilometers (about 1,553,427 miles), but they may drive even more if the team wants to be sure that certain aspects are precisely as expected.
With this milestone behind the Spectre, which is not the work of a single vehicle, the British marque has published images of the prototype as it goes through the process in various countries in the world. Currently, Rolls-Royce is testing its Spectre in South Africa, where the vehicle is experiencing extremely elevated temperatures, which can go as high as 50C (122F) in some areas.
Previously, the prototype has been at the Arctic Circle for its cold weather testing, and it was seen in Europe for normal city driving, as well. Rolls-Royce has already cycled the prototype through all four seasons, and it is now doing it again to ratify its initial results. It is a process, and all the other manufacturers are doing it in one way or another.
As you can imagine, the process is costly, as it involves building an unmentioned number of prototypes, hiring people to drive them for hours upon hours each day for months, changing things depending on what the field information provides, and then going back out to test their findings. It is not an easy job, certainly not a 9-to-5 thing, at least from what we understood from discussions we have had with test drivers for various automakers.
Rolls-Royce has spent over 1,500 hours finessing the regenerative braking of the Spectre. Getting it right will mean the best possible range from the vehicle, but also the best driving experience, and the customers will demand both.
In the case of regenerative braking, we can tell you right off the bat that not all EVs are alike. Each manufacturer, and in the case of some – each model, comes with a different approach. Some vehicles have a one-pedal driving mode, others have paddles on the steering wheel to manage the regenerative braking, and others do it automatically. Just from this part alone, it will be interesting to see the Rolls-Royce approach to the matter.
The engineers on the development team have also worked with over 25,000 performance-related functions, from the famed Magic Carpet Ride to specific things that make a Rolls-Royce drive like one and like nothing else on the road, from what we have experienced so far. The manufacturer has focused the team in this phase of testing on the principle of "marginal gains," which means getting very small improvements in certain areas that add up to a larger change.
The same principle is used by a racing team when developing their upcoming racing car, as well as when they are setting it up for a particular track. In the case of the Spectre, the world will be its "track," so it must be able to deliver that specific experience in any scenario, not just on a track in the UK.
Previously, the prototype has been at the Arctic Circle for its cold weather testing, and it was seen in Europe for normal city driving, as well. Rolls-Royce has already cycled the prototype through all four seasons, and it is now doing it again to ratify its initial results. It is a process, and all the other manufacturers are doing it in one way or another.
As you can imagine, the process is costly, as it involves building an unmentioned number of prototypes, hiring people to drive them for hours upon hours each day for months, changing things depending on what the field information provides, and then going back out to test their findings. It is not an easy job, certainly not a 9-to-5 thing, at least from what we understood from discussions we have had with test drivers for various automakers.
Rolls-Royce has spent over 1,500 hours finessing the regenerative braking of the Spectre. Getting it right will mean the best possible range from the vehicle, but also the best driving experience, and the customers will demand both.
In the case of regenerative braking, we can tell you right off the bat that not all EVs are alike. Each manufacturer, and in the case of some – each model, comes with a different approach. Some vehicles have a one-pedal driving mode, others have paddles on the steering wheel to manage the regenerative braking, and others do it automatically. Just from this part alone, it will be interesting to see the Rolls-Royce approach to the matter.
The engineers on the development team have also worked with over 25,000 performance-related functions, from the famed Magic Carpet Ride to specific things that make a Rolls-Royce drive like one and like nothing else on the road, from what we have experienced so far. The manufacturer has focused the team in this phase of testing on the principle of "marginal gains," which means getting very small improvements in certain areas that add up to a larger change.
The same principle is used by a racing team when developing their upcoming racing car, as well as when they are setting it up for a particular track. In the case of the Spectre, the world will be its "track," so it must be able to deliver that specific experience in any scenario, not just on a track in the UK.
Google News