Salon Privé Rolls Out Red Carpet for Electrogenic’s Latest Bespoke Conversion: 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Converted to Clean Electric Power

The internationally renowned British EV technology company Electrogenic has revealed its latest stunning bespoke conversion. It is a showstopping 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with coachwork by HJ Mulliner & Co., converted to clean all-electric power. It’s the silent, effortless powertrain this stately motor car always deserved.

Commissioned by a private collector, the Phantom is making its public debut at Salon Privé, one of the world’s leading Concours events.

Thought to be the most complex classic car EV conversion yet completed, the project further underlines Electrogenic’s world-leading position in this rapidly growing sector. The project showcases the Oxford-based firm’s unparalleled creativity, craftsmanship and technical capabilities.

Steve Drummond, Director, Electrogenic, said: “We’re delighted to reveal this fabulous EV converted Phantom II to the world. It has been an immensely complicated and rewarding project, carried out over 18 months by our sector-leading engineers, programmers and fabricators.

“This is undoubtedly the most complex classic car EV conversion yet attempted. The stunning results are a testament to the world-leading talents of our team. We’re immensely proud of the results and delighted to unveil it at Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace. It’s the perfect place to reveal a stately piece of British motoring history, now updated and future-proofed for the next hundred years of clean, silent electric motoring.”

Electrogenic, also known for its range of revolutionary ‘drop-in’ EV conversion kits for popular models – offered via an international partner-installer network – has sympathetically modernised this piece of British motoring history.

One of just 1,681 Phantom IIs crafted between 1920 and 1935. It now packs a whisper-quiet, effortlessly potent electric powertrain featuring Electrogenic’s proprietary EV technology. The Phantom’s stunning original looks and features are retained, and as with all of Electrogenic’s projects, the conversion is entirely reversible.

Transformed Mechanicals; Ingenious Packaging

The car was initially powered by a gargantuan 7.7-litre pushrod straight-six, which produced between 40 and 50bhp and was bolted directly to a four-speed, non-synchromesh manual gearbox. Rolls-Royce claimed a top speed of ‘well over 80mph’ in its standard configuration.

Now, the petrol engine and gearbox have been carefully removed and replaced by 93kWh of batteries, which have been carefully integrated into the existing structure of the car. 

The batteries feed an electric motor mounted between the chassis rails via a custom single-speed direct drive transmission, delivering 150kW and 310Nm of torque to the fixed reduction gear, delivering 1,000Nm to the prop shaft. The systems are all seamlessly linked and managed by a bespoke suite of software – all developed in-house by Electrogenic’s software engineers. 

As with every Electrogenic conversion, the battery configuration has been explicitly tailored to the model in question; housed within the car’s original architecture, no structural modifications are made. Electrogenic leads the world with its flexible battery installation systems.

It’s a carefully honed process involving a 3D scan of the car’s structure before rendering the optimal battery installation setup in CAD. Thanks to its market-leading battery installation capabilities, Electrogenic can precisely configure the batteries to fit the existing shape of the car, making the most of the useable space and maximising battery capacity.

In the case of the Phantom II, Electrogenic has used the sizeable space vacated by the engine and gearbox, installing the batteries under the bonnet and between the chassis rails.

Showstopping Design Flair

The batteries are housed beneath a gleaming, hand-formed, hand-riveted aluminium cowling – a sculptural design element that delights every time you raise the Phantom’s centrally hinged bonnet.

The ornate casing has been designed by Electrogenic and constructed by the technicians at Auto Historica, affiliated with the Heritage Skills Academy at Bicester Heritage – an educational centre attended by Electrogenic’s apprentices that is committed to giving young mechanics the professional skills to succeed in the heritage industry and preserve these beautiful machines for future generations.

The battery installation and cowling perfectly illustrate the Electrogenic team’s ability to deliver a sympathetic re-engineering that combines cutting-edge technology and innovation with showstopping design flair.  

Engineering Challenges; Creative Solutions

As one might expect, several challenges were associated with sympathetically converting a nearly hundred-year-old, idiosyncratic luxury motor car to run on the latest EV technology. Electrogenic has used its profound engineering nous and creativity reserves to solve them deftly. 

One key challenge was preserving and updating the Phantom’s centralised, entirely mechanical, ‘through-flow’ chassis lubrication system. This setup sends oil to the car’s many phosphor-bronze bushes for brake and suspension linkages and other automatic control systems – crucial to the Rolls’ trademark silken drive. Removing the straight-six engine disrupted the complex system, so Electrogenic supplemented its design to ensure it continued to work as intended.

Another challenge the team faced was re-designing the original cable-operated braking system to work seamlessly with the updated EV architecture. The original brake pedal and levers sat under the bulkhead in space now taken by the large battery pack, so Electrogenic again supplemented the design of the braking system to fit the new layout.

In a move that illustrates Electrogenic’s belief in creatively preserving the car’s character, the team re-positioned the original brake levers and cables – maintaining the actual ratios of the mechanical balancing system, just in a new configuration.

The brakes are operated by a new pedal, with braking power amplified by a unique hydraulic system installed between the new pedal and the original cable actuators. As a final touch, the Electrogenic team calibrated the brakes to work with the motor’s regen function, further enhancing braking performance and boosting efficiency and range.

The braking system shows Electrogenic at its best: elegantly engineering old and new technology to work in harmony – preserving original features and character wherever possible while delivering transformed functionality and useability.

Discreetly Updated Interior

The programme of sympathetic updates continues inside, where Electrogenic has been careful to retain the fantastic original features of the beautifully patinaed leather and wood-lined cabin. The actual controls have been repurposed, and the standard gauges have been creatively reworked.

The fuel gauge, originally a vertical sight glass, is now an LED state of charge gauge; the amp meter is a power gauge, showing the rate of power draw when accelerating and power harvesting under regen; the oil temperature gauge shows charger temperature and the water temperature gauge shows the temperature of the electric motor.

The modernisations also extend to the audio setup: the cabin now houses a state-of-the-art, high-end multi-speaker HiFi system, with an integrated sub-woofer under the rear seat and full Bluetooth connectivity. All of this is discreetly hidden from view.

Driving Experience: A Phantom Transformed

The different elements add up to deliver a stunning, cohesive package. The updated machine is a delight to drive, a Phantom that performs as Rolls-Royce‘s engineers of a century ago would have wanted had they possessed the requisite technology: it is silent, effortless and graceful. 

While transformed in terms of performance and ease of use, as with all Electrogenic conversions, the car’s tuning and calibration – honed over countless test miles – have been carefully shaped to reflect the original character of the vehicle. Rather than transforming it beyond all recognition, the Phantom drives like a better version of its authentic self.

The electrified classic is now easy to start, with smooth, quiet acceleration and no need for double de-clutching – making it much more useable in traffic. The updated braking system slows the two-tonne Rolls effortlessly, so you can confidently drive in town or cruise on the open road.

The updated machine is also vastly more efficient than the original; despite its significant weight and a drag ratio of close to one, the state-of-the-art powertrain with regen capabilities offers a range of circa 150 miles in real-world driving.

Electrogenic have also been engineered in different driving modes, with standard ‘Drive’, range boosting ‘Eco’ and high-performance ‘Sport’ settings. There is also a ‘regen doubler’ setting for the regenerative braking, which the driver can deploy on long, steep descents.

Drummond concluded: “We’re honoured to have been asked to build this particular car for a delightful private collector who loves their cars and is deeply passionate about the environment. It’s been an advantageous collaborative process with the owner, bringing our shared vision to life.

“It’s been technically challenging – from initially exploring the project’s feasibility and technical specifications to developing different options for integrating the EV componentry. This included options for how the batteries should be displayed under the bonnet. This level of choice is all part of the premium ultra-bespoke conversion service we offer clients.

“While it sounds like we’ve carried out a great deal of modifications – and we have – I’m particularly proud that, as with all Electrogenic conversions, nothing has been drilled or cut on the car. All the parts can be reassembled, and the vehicle can be returned to its original state if required. 

“This has been a fascinating project to work on and one that we’ve poured our hearts and souls into. We’re delighted with the results; it combines the most stunning 1920s coachbuilding with an updated driving experience entirely befitting a Rolls-Royce. Every member of the Electrogenic team has contributed to this project, and we are all proud to have added our mark to this remarkable motor car, readying it for a further hundred years of dignified, stately – and now clean – motoring.”

Background: Cutting Edge Technology, Developed in Britain

Electrogenic’s conversions – whether bespoke or its’ popular range of ‘drop-in’ kits – feature the firm’s sector-leading, proprietary EV technology – the tech underpinning the company’s rapid rise and sustained growth in recent years.  

All Electrogenic conversions are defined by their quality and depth of engineering, using technology developed in-house by a research and development team comprising leading automotive engineers, programmers and electrical experts. 

Each conversion reflects Electrogenic’s approach to developing and manufacturing its technology, which includes in-house designed software, printed circuit boards (PCBs) and digital dashboards, as well as vehicle management technology that can integrate any of the latest motors, battery modules, etc., to incorporate the best new tech into its conversion packages. 

The conversions use highly innovative mechanical componentry, including a unique system for creating high-density battery packs and exceptionally compact in-line and transverse reduction gearboxes, all manufactured in the UK. The packaged conversions permanently preserve the existing vehicles’ structure and architecture. This approach ensures that ll Electrogenic conversions are entirely reversible.

Electrogenic’s world-leading bespoke conversions are completed at Electrogenic’s Oxford HQ and workshop, while the ‘drop-in’ kit range is offered internationally through a rapidly growing network of partner installers.