7 People Can Ride In This $1.3M Electric Rolls-Royce
If you are one of the very few people on the planet who's in need of an electric Rolls-Royce that can seat up to seven people, you'll have to go the restomod route. So far, the only production Rolls-Royce EV is the Spectre coupe. Fortunately, British company Lunaz - which specializes in electric restomods of classic luxury cars - has come up with the ultimate Rolls EV. This Phantom V has all the grace and majesty of the original model produced from the late 1950s, but now runs on silent electric power alone.
The original Phantom V was equipped with a 6.2-liter V8 engine and four-speed automatic transmission, being based on the Silver Cloud II of the period. Lunaz has not gone into any detail about how much power the electric powertrain produces, beyond saying that it uses an 80-kWh battery pack. We don't expect it to be shockingly quick by modern EV standards, as this is surely the kind of car that is most rewarding when driven gently.
In the process of converting this Rolls to an EV, Lunaz replaced or re-engineered over 11,000 components over a period of 5,500 hours.
As with the powertrain specs, we also don't know how long this Rolls will take to charge, but it's safe to assume that the buyer of this car has the wherewithal to install a home charger, so this car may never need to experience the indignity of charging alongside someone's old Nissan Leaf.
But what about Alfa Romeo? Ficili, also the head of Alfa Romeo, has confirmed that Stellantis will review its strategy, too. He didn't share further details about this, as it seems like the automaker is focusing on Maserati first. We should know more by the end of the month.
Alfa Romeo is currently struggling, not only with sales but also with the development of its upcoming products. Specifically, the next-generation Stelvio, Alfa's best-selling model, is in doubt since the company backpedaled from its full-electric lineup strategy, now heading to a hybrid path. However, a new post today suggests something new will be revealed next week:
Of note, 15% of Alfa Romeo's sales are from America, the world's second-biggest automotive market. Again, tariffs will play a significant role in both automakers' business plans, for which Stellantis hired the consulting firm McKinsey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
UK terminates $34B subsea cable energy agreement in North Africa
The UK government has officially withdrawn its support for the £25 billion ($34.4 billion) Morocco-UK Power Project, a pioneering plan to harness solar and wind energy from the Sahara Desert and transmit it to Britain via the world's longest subsea power cable. The UK government has withdrawn support for the £25 billion Morocco-UK Power Project due to national interest concerns. This project aimed to transmit renewable energy from Morocco to the UK via a 3,800 km subsea power cable. The lack of government-backed contracts reduced investment attractiveness, leading to project termination. The ambitious project, led by British clean energy company, Xlinks, involved laying over 3,800 kilometers of high-voltage subsea cables from Morocco's Guelmim-Oued Noun region to Devon in southwest England, to generate enough electricity to power over 7 million UK homes, accounting for up to 8% of the country's energy needs. Prior to its termination, the inter-continental energy project, which would have harnessed over 10.5 gigawatts of solar and wind power to deliver a steady 3.6 gigawatts of baseload energy, had reportedly cleared environmental permits and was scheduled for construction as early as 2027. Reuters report that over £100 million ($137 million) has already been spent on development and feasibility studies, with significant interest from lenders to fund the construction phase. However, the lack of a government-backed contract for difference and a guaranteed minimum price for electricity made the project riskier and less attractive to investors. Michael Shanks, UK Energy Minister highlighted the reasons for the decision; he said the government had concluded that, 'it is not in the UK national interest at this time to continue further consideration of support for the Morocco-UK Power Project. ' He also cited concerns over economic alignment and a shift toward ' homegrown power ' as part of a broader energy security strategy, adding that the government had concluded that it preferred domestic renewable investments with greater economic and energy security benefits. Reacting to the news of cancellation, Xlinks, Chairman, Dave Lewis said, 'We are hugely surprised and bitterly disappointed that the UK government would choose to walk away from an opportunity to unlock the substantial value that a large-scale renewable energy project like this would bring,' 'We are now working to unlock the potential of the project and maximize its value for all parties in a different way.' He added. The Morocco-UK Power Project At its core, the Morocco-UK Power Project was envisioned as a transcontinental clean energy solution; designed to tap into North Africa 's abundant sunshine and wind to help the UK meet its 2030 net-zero grid ambitions while easing reliance on natural gas. It would have featured 11.5 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity with battery storage to deliver 3.6 gigawatts of steady baseload power. Despite backing from major investors like TAQA, TotalEnergies, Octopus Energy, and GE Vernova, concerns over the project's complexity, transmission length, geopolitical risks, and dependency on a non-European partner ultimately led to the UK's decision to pull back. As global clean energy investment is projected to reach $3.3 trillion in 2025, with two-thirds going towards renewables and storage, the UK's move signals a shift towards resilient, domestic systems over cross-border mega-deals.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Max Verstappen off the pace with 'undriveable' car in qualifying for Red Bull home race
SPIELBERG, Austria (AP) — Max Verstappen felt his Red Bull car was 'undriveable' as he found himself off the pace at his Formula 1 team's home race. A lack of grip and an unfortunately timed yellow flag both played a role as Verstappen placed seventh in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, where he's won five times, to further dent his hopes of defending the F1 title. A frustrating day for Verstappen and the wider Red Bull team came amid widespread speculation over his future after Mercedes driver George Russell indicated on Thursday he believed Verstappen was in talks about a move. 'The car is completely undriveable. I have no grip," Verstappen told the team over the radio part way through Saturday qualifying. Things got worse later on as he had to back off his final lap of the session because of a yellow flag. Speaking to British broadcaster Sky Sports after the session, Verstappen indicated he believed his car was 'miles off pole" set by McLaren's Lando Norris, even without the yellow flag. 'Hopefully tomorrow we can at least be competitive with Ferrari or Mercedes," Verstappen said. "I don't know even, because with the balance we had in quali that's for sure not going to look great for tomorrow, but we will analyze everything.' Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda was even less competitive as he qualified 18th and complained he, too, was lacking grip. Norris said he and McLaren expected Red Bull 'to be quicker here this weekend' after both teams brought upgraded parts to Austria, but said he wouldn't write off Verstappen. Piastri leads Norris by 22 points in the standings with Verstappen third, 21 points further back. 'Max has been our main contender for every race this season," Norris said. "Just because he's had a slightly worse qualifying today, definitely not going to count him out of of the race tomorrow and definitely not going to count him out for the rest of the season.' ___
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Chrysler recalling more than 250,000 Voyager and Pacifica vehicles to repair potential airbag problem
Chrysler is voluntarily recalling some of its 2022-2025 Pacifica and Voyager vehicles to replace their side curtain airbags, if needed. The recall potentially affects 250,651 vehicles, and it's because some side curtain airbags may not hold enough pressure during deployment to limit the risk for passengers during certain types of crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration said it's due to improperly sealed seams, and dealers will inspect and replace the side curtain airbags, as necessary, free of charge. Chrysler's parent company said it's not aware of any related injuries or accidents, but it's urging customers to follow the instructions on their recall notices. In 2024, Stellantis-owned Chrysler recalled more than 211,000 SUVs and pickup trucks in the U.S., due to a software malfunction that could disable the cars' electronic stability control systems. Also last year, Stellantis has recalled thousands of Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 cars because of a manufacturing defect that could cause airbags to rupture unexpectedly, resulting in metal fragments flying out, potentially killing passengers.
