It's not every day you get chauffeured around by your Ambassador, so I made the most of the experience when I joined Ambassador David Warren as he undertook a test drive of the electric Rolls Royce 102EX concept car on its recent visit to Japan.
Launched at the Geneva car show in March, the car is gradually making its way around the world gathering feedback from customers, media and opinion-formers, in order to help Rolls Royce decide whether or not to put the car into full production.
So far the reception has been very positive, and certainly our experience driving around the port area of Yokohama was very pleasant - smooth, comfortable and even more hushed than the famously quiet petrol-powered Phantom (which we drove around a bit first, for comparison's sake).
The prototype is a reminder of the strength of British engineering: most of the parts were developed in the UK, including the lithium-ion battery, the largest car battery system yet made. Developed and made in Scotland by Axeon, it has to pack quite a punch to be able to power this 3-ton giant of a vehicle. Rolls Royce staff told us that it was capable of accelerating from 0-60 in under 8 seconds, but the traffic-light-studded suburban roads on our test circuit didn't really give us a chance to put it through its paces. Other innovations include induction charging from a pad installed in the floor of the car's parking space, and a unique transmission system.
The move to low carbon vehicles is clearly unstoppable when even Rolls Royce are considering going electric. They're certainly not compromising on luxury though: the electric version is sumptuously fitted out, and features an air-conditioned umbrella compartment in the door, though I guess you might want to bear in mind the full-charge range of 120 miles before you switch that on.
It was good to hear that Rolls Royces are selling really well in Japan othis year. A combination of a favourable exchange rate and a post-earthquake realisation that life is precarious and you may as well live out your dreams while you still can seem to be driving that. But in a country that is acutely conscious of its energy consumption, and home to some of the most advanced electric and hybrid vehicles anywhere in the world, the introduction of an electric version of this ultimate in motoring luxury might well help to secure its fortunes in the longer-term as well.
Meanwhile, I'm not sure whether it was the knowledge that the car had cost 5 million pounds to build or the unfamiliarity of a left-hand drive, but I'm happy to report that the Ambassador drove suitably carefully and returned us safely to base. I'm not sure he'll be changing career any time soon though!
Sue Kinoshita
UKTI Japan