Bentley has repeatedly made clear its goal to introduce a full electric car by 2025, but it’s not doing so just for sakes. According to a new Autocar report, the new EV will anchor the brand as a global leader in sustainable car manufacturing and technology.
Company CEO Adrian Hallmark told the publication that Bentley has already designed a concept with similarities to the Jaguar I-Pace, but will be more extreme in many ways. It will be a high-riding sedan as opposed to a full-blown SUV, which Bentley says is typically inefficient when it comes to aerodynamics, and therefore reduces range.
“If we are to launch an electric car in the mid-2020s, then it either needs to be smaller than today’s cars or the same size but not as upright, and smaller isn’t an appealing solution as it implies a lower price segment,” Hallmark said.
“The prediction is battery technology will have moved forward again by that date and that will put us at the edge of what we think we need to give customers – 300 to 350 miles (480 to 560 km), or enough to cruise at 65 mph (105 km/h) average for five hours,” he noted, adding that his team needs to be looking at how they can deliver slipperier cars by optimising aerodynamics.
For batteries, Bentley said the next-generation of energy storage units will come from solid-state batteries, but realistically that technology will only come to fruition at the end of the decade. With that, the 2025 EV will likely use a more advanced version of lithium ion cells.
“Bentley has very little to fear from an electric future,” said Hallmark. “In fact, many of the facets of electrification are what define Bentley. Sure, today in a GT, you can hit 207 mph (333 km/h), but that doesn’t mean very many of our customers drive around at that speed very often, if at all. We’re not a brand that is in any way defined by offering hypercar or supercar performance.”
“What they do enjoy every time they go out is super-refinement, effortless pace and total comfort. Electrification will only enhance all of those, so for customers, the trade-off is about 12 cylinders for 2,000 or so electrical cells. Everything else is improved,” he added.
Going forward, Hallmark hopes that Bentley will be granted first access to any major battery or electrical architecture breakthroughs made by parent company Volkswagen Group. He said Bentley’s values are “about delivering the very best money can buy,” which puts the brand in a position to lead in whatever direction it can turn to, including sustainability and electrification.
“Yes, one goal is to lead in electrification in the luxury segment, but we also feel that sustainability can be about far more than just electrification. Our customers are happy to pay a premium if they can buy a car that is truly carbon-neutral, and that is now a core mission of the company,” he said.
As for the brand’s hallowed W12 engine, Hallmark simply said the engine will eventually be phased out. “For 100 years, we’ve tried to make engines bigger and more powerful. For the next 10 years, we’re going to try to make them disappear. We want to do this in a progressive and customer-orientated way. We don’t hate engines, but we do love the idea of electrification. We’ll offer hybrid options alongside combustion engine options on every model by 2023,” he added.
Related Cars for Sale on 
Source: Read Full Article