Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves would like to make an electric-powered Phantom. ‘Many of our customers do small mileages exclusively in the city,’ says Purves, who took over the helm of BMW-owned Rolls-Royce in July 2008. ‘For these customers, an electric Rolls-Royce would be ideal.’Purves has just driven the new electric Mini, which debuts at next month’s Los Angeles auto show, and was ‘bowled over by it. It is superb: quiet, fast and fantastic fun’. 

An electric Rolls-Royce, says Purves, would be in keeping with the Rolls brand. ‘We stand for unmatched refinement and you can’t get a quieter and less intrusive engine than a well engineered electric motor. Truly, the loudest noise you would hear would be the tick of the clock,’ he says, referring to an old Rolls marketing message. ‘We also stand for strong and instant torque – and an electric motor delivers maximum torque instantly. The “waftability” would be fantastic.’

Source: Rolls-Royce wants to make an electric Phantom | Environmental Motoring Issues | CAR Magainze Online