Rolls-Royce’s all-electric super car Spectre continues its 2.5 million kilometer testing program – the most rigorous testing program ever devised in the marque’s 118-year history. The vehicle is currently undergoing extrem hot weather tests in two locations in South Africa: Augrabies in the Northern Cape; and Franschhoek, the ‘French Corner’ in the Western Cape winelands. Temperatures can surpass 50°C, while the southern region boasts a great variety of surfaces and terrains, including twisting country roads replete with gravel, dust and dirt.
Rolls-Royce’s engineers improve every system, hardware item and software protocol that has been developed over the course of almost two million kilometres of continuous testing. Each of the motor car’s 25,000 separate performance-related functions have been developed to deliver the best Rolls-Royce experience. The refinements being made now follow the principles of ‘marginal gains’, in which individual adjustments produce a significant overall improvement.
Over 1500 hours have already been dedicated to refining the car’s regenerative braking. Data-logging equipment processes sensor inputs generated by this braking force, to guarantee that adjustments do not compromise the overall serenity of Spectre under any driving conditions. Anti-roll stabilisation is being tuned to reflect the dynamic promise of Spectre’s dramatic super-coupé design while still delivering on the marque’s ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ qualities. High temperatures can alter the hardness of rubber suspension components, providing a parameter that is bookended by the results of extreme cold weather testing.
This approach has also been used to provide the correct color quality and brightness for the theatre of light that is prompted by opening Spectre’s coach door. To guarantee a sense of harmony in the cabin, all internal illuminations, including the marque’s celebrated Bespoke Starlight Headliner, instrument cluster and SPIRIT interface, must be perfectly coordinated. This requires detailed analysis of a global range of sunlight exposure and types, to ensure consistency of colour quality wherever in the world Spectre is.
As Rolls-Royce’s all-electric super coupé approaches the later phases of its testing program, further adjustments will be made to sealing materials to deliver Rolls-Royce’s famed aero-acoustic performance. The audio system will be tuned to achieve fractional gains in the quality of the sound offered through Spectre’s 17 speakers. Following initial testing and calibration in a laboratory setting, the system is now being tested exhaustively in real-world conditions. A specially curated playlist presenting a wide range of genres to represent a full spectrum of sonic requirements is used.
The final 500,000 kilometers of Spectre testing will be dedicated to Lifestyle Analysis. This testing process will see the car tested in super-luxury situations and use-cases specific to Rolls-Royce clients, to ensure Spectre performs as required in the center of big cities.
The first cars will be delivered to clients in the fourth quarter of 2023.
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