Electric power is ideal for one thing above all else — silence. Quelling the sounds that come from an electric motor is a much easier job than doing the same for a petrol or diesel engine, and while that might be a horrifying prospect for those of us who love the snarl of a straight-six or the rumble of a V8, it’s little wonder that more than a century ago, no less an expert than Charles Rolls (yes, that Rolls, as in Rolls-Royce) predicted that electric motors — “silent, smooth, smokeless” — would be ideal for the cars that bore his name.
A century on, that prediction has finally come to pass, and Rolls-Royce now sells an electric car, a stunning coupe called the Spectre, and it’s every inch the glorious experience that you might imagine. While many tend to think of EVs as mundane hatchbacks or SUVs, Rolls-Royce proves that, when done right, electric power really is perfect for luxury.
Thankfully, you don’t have to spend the near-enough half-a-million Euro necessary to buy a Spectre to enjoy some electric luxury in Ireland, as the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes have launched a whole swathe of all-battery models that cosset and comfort you in electric silence.
You can still spend plenty of course. The likes of a BMW i7 or a Mercedes EQS might be electric and therefore qualify for the lowest possible rate of VRT and motor tax, but these are still searingly expensive cars, and €100,000 is merely a starting point.
Worth it? Maybe… The BMW i7 has divisive styling — that massive nose and huge bonnet give it the look of a wheeled aircraft carrier — but there’s no denying the sense of proper luxury within. You sink deep into lavishly upholstered seats, whether you’re in the front or the rear, and if you are a back-seater, there’s the option of putting your feet up thanks to a fully reclining seat that whirrs back like a Business Class airline chair.
Underneath, the i7 actually shares its batteries and motors with that Rolls-Royce Spectre (BMW has owned Rolls since the late 1990s) and so it’s both smooth and blisteringly fast. Air suspension keeps things calm, but there’s still some proper BMW driving fun to be had.
The Mercedes EQS couldn’t be more different. Low, sleek and shaped like a wave-worn pebble, it’s astonishingly comfortable, with decent space for those in the back and a huge boot. As with the BMW, there are flaws, but where it beats the car from Munich is in range terms. The big i7 struggles to do better than 450km on one charge, even with its huge 101kWh battery. Meanwhile, the more slippery Mercedes can easily romp on to 550km or more without stopping, and those are real-world figures.
You don’t have to spend quite so much, either. Both the more affordable BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE offer much of the same comfort and refinement as their bigger electric siblings, although once again the Mercedes has the BMW well and truly beaten for real-world range — even cruising on the motorway, the EQE can reach 500km. There are luxurious SUV options too, such as the Mercedes EQS SUV and EQE SUV, and the ugly-but-brilliant BMW iX, and those are about to be joined by new super-long-range models, such as Mercedes’ new GLC EQ and the BMW iX3, which will come an 805km range according to the official numbers.
Audi doesn’t yet make a big, electric luxury saloon to match the i7 nor the EQS, but there are the A6 e-tron and Avant estate to consider which certainly look, feel and drive like the premium cars they are, although if you want decent rear seat space, then consider an upgrade to the closely related Audi Q6 e-tron SUV.
Or, if you fancy some proper driving fun to go with your electric luxury and silence, there’s the Porsche Macan, which is like an Audi Q5 that’s been to the gym, or for that matter the Porsche Taycan, which may not be truly luxurious but which is blisteringly fast and agile (and which also has an Audi cousin, the handsome e-tron GT).
There are some more esoteric options, if you fancy. Maserati makes an electric ‘Folgore’ (the Italian for lightning) version of its four-seat GranTurismo, but it’s only available on personal import in Ireland, and is spectacularly expensive, as is the Lotus all-electric pair of the Eletre SUV and Emeya saloon.
If you don’t fancy any of the above, just wait. Some potentially impressive all-electric luxury cars are on the way. Land Rover is on the cusp of launching an all-electric Range Rover (although it’s been delayed, and delayed again by the recent cyber-attack), while its sibling brand Jaguar is gearing up for a controversial all-electric, high-luxury reinvention. Bentley is planning its first all-electric car — a sleek SUV — next year, while Porsche’s all-electric (and 1,100hp) Cayenne SUV should be revealed any day now.
Lexus is about to launch its first all-electric saloon, too, in the shape of the next-generation ES, which gets dramatic wedge-shaped styling for a proper sci-fi look, and even Ferrari is getting in on the electric game, with tall (don’t call it an SUV though…) four-seater making 1,000hp. Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, is also promising to finally make its Irish debut, with an electric lineup that includes the curvy GV60 crossover and the Bentley-lookalike G80 saloon.
Actually one of the most intriguing electric luxury cars on the market is also one of the most affordable. DS Automobiles has sometimes struggled to make an impact on the market, but its new DS No.8 has Rolls-Royce looks (seriously — it looks a lot like a smaller Spectre, especially with the optional two-tone paint), a silent and high-quality cabin, and the promise of up to 750km of range from its biggest battery. Perhaps that will finally put DS on Irish luxury buyers’ shopping lists, and allow you a touch of Rolls-Royce’s silent, smooth and smokeless luxury for a fraction of the cost.