One of the hallmarks of Rolls-Royce's brilliant cars is their drivetrains. Simply starting a Rolls-Royce Phantom's engine is an event in itself. It turns into life with no more than a whirr. One of the reasons for the engineering to create this seamless transition from off to on is to isolate the driver from the unsavoury sounds of mechanical mass reciprocating.
If you could remove that sound altogether, then the quietness normally associated with a Rolls-Royce would be even greater. One way to achieve this priceless silence would be - you guessed it - an electric drivetrain.
We've been impressed with both the Phantom and Ghost on previous test drives; their combination of serenity and power is something that keeps Rolls-Royce at the top of the luxury market. So when you think that an electric drivetrain will give you both silence and maximum torque from zero revs, it seems like a perfect fit.
Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes recently told a UK publication that the company is investigating all alternative fuels and that an electric Rolls would be a good idea.
Mr Mueller-Oetvoes said: "We are not going to make any rash decisions. It would be wrong for the brand and wrong for our customers if we were to take a decision without fully exploring all options."
One would think that with the London Olympics drawing closer, and that Rolls-Royce would want to put its best environmental-foot forward for the world to see, 2012 would be an ideal time for an electric, rechargable Rolls-Royce to debut.
Parent company BMW certainly has the technology and the means.
