Electric Phantom ready to roll?

Rolls Royce fans cover your eyes now, you're in for a shock! The most-luxurious car maker in the world is considering an electric variant of its flagship saloon, the Phantom, Auto Express has learnt.

Speaking to a member of the press at the Goodwood Revival, a spokesman for the brand let slip that a battery-powered Phantom is something that's under consideration - noting that the excess weight of the lithium-ion battery pack would be less of a problem in a car that weighs close to three tonnes with a V12 petrol engine under the bonnet.

Other electric car attributes of near-silent operation, and huge reserves of torque available from zero rpm would appear to suit the peerless Rolls Royce driving experience perfectly, too.

The problem, as always with electric vehicles, is giving the car a useful range between charges. However, a small-capacity range-entending engine, such as the 1.5-litre three-cylinder diesel engine fitted to parent company BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, could be used to top up the batteries on the go.