Rolls-Royce CEO compares Spectre EV to first Apple iPhone; flipping is prohibited
Don’t try flipping the new Rolls-Royce all-electric Spectre, or you may get blacklisted from the brand. While comparing the automaker’s first EV to the first Apple iPhone, Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös says flippers will be “immediately on a blacklist.”
In October, Rolls-Royce unveiled the Spectre, its first fully electric car, calling it the world’s first ultraluxury EV super coupe.
Despite releasing the EV just last year, electrification has been a part of the company’s history for over 100 years. Rolls-Royce Founder Charles Royce explained in 1900, “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged.”
With charging stations rolling out at a record pace, Rolls-Royce has no more excuses. The number of charging ports in the US increased more in 2022 than in the previous three years combined.
In addition, thanks to government and private funding, the US is on track to deploy a network of 1.2 million EV chargers by 2030, up from almost 130,000.
Rolls-Royce introduced the Spectre as the next generation of the brand and successor to the Phantom Coupe.
Rolls-Royce Spectre EV reminiscent of the first iPhone?
In a recent interview with Car Dealer Magazine, Müller-Ötvös explained, “Many buyers see Spectre as the very first proposition in the ultra-luxury segment to go electric, and that is quite something,” with 40% of buyers new to the brand. He added:
It’s a similar kind of feeling as in 2007, to carry your very first iPhone in your pocket to be seen behind the wheel of a Spectre.
Unlike the iPhone, Rolls-Royce will not allow its electric Spectre super coupe to be traded like a phone. Müller-Ötvös told dealers that buyers looking to flip the Spectre for a profit would be banned from buying another Rolls-Royce model for life.
At a launch event in California, the brand’s leader said you first need to qualify for the car, and “then you might get a slot for an order.” If buyers try to resell for a profit, he says:
They’re going immediately on a blacklist and this is it – you will never ever have the chance to acquire again.
The first Rolls-Royce EV goes on sale this summer, with deliveries beginning in the fall. Prices start around $424K (£330,000), but according to the report, most will leave the factory with a price tag upward of $578K (£450,000).
Despite the claims, some have already lined up buyers. Supercar dealer Tim Hartley, known for selling used secondhand Rolls-Royce vehicles, said he has already agreed to two $65K (£50,000) premiums for Spectre models.
Hartley disagrees with the brand’s leader, saying:
Money talks and manufacturers will never stop successful entrepreneurs, businessmen and aristocrats from selling their cars.
He says he doesn’t believe it’s “fair for car makers to tell customers who have spent close to half a million pounds on a car what they can do with it.” He added, “It’s not right. People’s circumstances change, they could have a genuine reason for the sale, such as financial problems.”
Electrek’s Take
I get where Müller-Ötvös is coming from, as he wants to protect the legacy of the brand’s first all-electric model, but to blacklist people for flipping is a little extreme.
As Hartley explains, the new Spectre will have a premium, or a window where you can sell it for more than you bought it, but it will only be a short time, and “some owners will want to cash in on that.” Many Rolls-Royce buyers are in business, and “in that world sometimes a healthy profit talks.”
What do you all think? Is Rolls-Royce out of line for blacklisting customers for flipping its first EV for a profit? Or is Müller-Ötvös on to something? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Rolls-Royce
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Elon Musk has finally confirmed that Tesla’s new ‘affordable’ electric car is just going to be the Model Y in a cheaper format.
Musk has ended months of speculations and misinformation, which he partly created, about Tesla’s upcoming cheaper electric vehicle model.
Since last year, Tesla has guided “launching new affordable models” in the first half of 2025.
We are past the first half of 2025, but Tesla confirmed yesterday that the “first build” of the new model was produced in June, and it will launch later this year.
During the shareholders’ call following the earnings results yesterday, Tesla was asked about what the new affordable model would look like. Tesla’s CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, initially stated that they wouldn’t disclose details about the design, but then Musk interrupted him and said, “It’s a Model Y.”
It’s hard to hear exactly on the call because he talked over Taneja, but he said, “the cat is out of the bag” and confirmed that the new vehicle is simply a Model Y.
Electrek has been reporting on this fact all year. We have known for months that Tesla’s upcoming “new affordable models” are Model 3 and Model Y with a stripped-down interior with fewer features, like no rear screen, and cheaper materials:
However, this fact was not accepted in the Tesla community because CEO Elon Musk falsely denied a report last year about Tesla’s “$25,000” EV model being canceled.
The facts are that Musk canceled two cheaper vehicles that Tesla was working on, commonly referred as “the $25,000 Tesla” in early 2024. Those vehicles were codenamed NV91 and NV92, and they were based on the new vehicle platform that Tesla is now reserving for the Cybercab.
Instead, Musk noticed that Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y production lines were starting to be underutilized as the Company faced demand issues. Therefore, Tesla canceled the vehicle programs based on the new platform and decided to build new vehicles on Model 3/Y platform using the same production lines.
Now, only the new Cybercab is going to be based on the new unboxed platform.
During the conference call last night, Musk stated that the primary goal of the more affordable Model Y is to expand the market by making the vehicle more accessible to a broader audience. He suggested that it will go on sale in Q4.
Electrek’s Take
Finally, we can put this to rest. I think we can expect something similar to what Tesla did with the Model 3 in Mexico.
I think we can expect changes, such as using cloth materials instead of vegan leather, no rear display, no ambient lighting, and a lesser audio system.
In the case of the Model Y, Tesla may consider dropping some exterior lighting features, such as the light bars.
I wouldn’t be surprised also to see some powertrain changes. Maybe a less powerful RWD motor.
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MIT spinout Electrified Thermal Solutions has inked a deal with HWI, a member of Calderys and one of the biggest refractory suppliers in the US, to make electrically conductive firebricks – electric bricks, or E-bricks – that store and deliver extreme heat using renewable electricity.
The innovative partnership is all about scaling up Electrified Thermal’s Joule Hive Thermal Battery, which conducts clean power and stores it as heat up to a scorching 1,800C (3,275F). That’s hot enough to drive even the most energy-hungry industrial processes like steelmaking, glass, or cement production.
The E-bricks enable factories to ditch fossil fuels and run on renewables without sacrificing performance or reliability, and at a lower cost.
The MIT-developed tech is getting paired with HWI’s 160-year track record in high-heat materials. The E-bricks will be built in HWI’s existing US plants, which means the system can scale fast using current supply chains instead of building new factories from scratch.
Electrified Thermal expects its first commercial-scale Joule Hive system to come online this year. By 2030, the Boston-based startup wants to deploy 2 gigawatts’ worth of thermal power across industry.
“Industrial heat represents one of the most challenging frontiers in the world’s effort to address climate change,” said Daniel Stack, Electrified Thermal’s CEO and co-founder. “The majority of energy used for it worldwide still comes from burning fossil fuels. Our partnership with HWI transforms what could have been a manufacturing bottleneck into a powerful scaling advantage.”
HWI says Electrified Thermal’s E-brick is a breakthrough. “It maintains the high-temperature durability required by customers, while also generating the heat to run their processes,” said Ben Stanton, director of applications technology at HWI.
Calderys’ global VP of innovation, Bruno Touzo, added that the company is ready to help expand E-brick production across its global network. “It enables us to respond effectively to the growing demand from industries transitioning to cleaner energy solutions,” he said.
Read more: 91% of renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels, but Trump just defunded a vital US grid upgrade
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The Chinese EV maker calls it a “high-energy super SUV.” BYD launched the Sealion 06 EV on Wednesday, a new entry-level electric SUV. It starts at just over $20,000, but BYD promises that the new Sealion 06 EV won’t feel like a base model, with advanced tech and safety features, fast charging, and a driving range of over 375 miles.
BYD launches the new Sealion 06 EV
The new midsize SUV was launched at a conference in China on Thursday in fully electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain options.
BYD stopped making gas-powered vehicles in 2022 and now offers EV or PHEV options across most of its lineup.
The all-electric BYD Sealion 06 EV is available in three trims, with prices ranging from 139,800 yuan ($21,000) to 163,800 yuan ($23,000). It comes in single and dual-motor variants with two BYD Blade battery pack options: 65.28 kWh and 78.72 kWh.
The single-motor features either a 227 hp (170 kW) or 241 hp (180 kW) at the rear. With the standard (65.28 kWh) battery, the RWD variant offers a CLTC driving range of 520 km (323 miles). Upgrading to the long-range (78.72 kWh) battery provides a CLTC range of 605 km (376 miles).
The AWD variant utilizes a 241 hp (180 kW) rear motor, paired with an additional 147 hp (110 kW) motor on the front, for a combined 388 hp (290 kW). It’s also available with a range of up to 520 km (323 miles).
BYD’s new electric SUV measures 4,810 mm in length, 1,920 mm in width, and 1,675 mm in height, which is slightly larger than the Tesla Model Y.
The interior is based on an advanced version of BYD’s DiLink 100 smart cockpit, which includes a 15.6″ floating infotainment screen and a 26″ Head-up (HUD) display.
It also comes with features you won’t typically find on entry-level models, like a built-in refrigerator that can cool and heat.
Like most new BYD vehicles, it’s equipped with its God’s Eye C Intelligent Assisted Driving. The system utilizes five radars, 12 high-definition cameras, and 12 ultrasonic radars to offer over 30 safety features, including assisted driving on highways and remote parking.
Source: CarNewsChina, BYD
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