Photo: Bentley
Bentley has jaw-dropping plans when it comes to their first battery-electric model that is due in 2025, as it will be one of the quickest vehicles in the world.
The brand’s Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Hallmark, recently sat down with AutoNews, revealing that the yet-unnamed model will have up to 1,400 hp on tap, and will be capable of hitting 60 mph (97 kph) in roughly 1.5 seconds. Nonetheless, since that would be simply too much in terms of G forces for most users, the vehicle will have another driving mode that will limit the sprint to 2.7 seconds.
“If we are 650 hp now with the GT Speed, we will be double that with the BEV. But from a 0 to 60 mph point of view, there are diminishing returns. The thrill of 2.4 seconds to 60 mph is great about 10 times. Then it just becomes nauseous,” said Hallmark. “You can have 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds. Or it can be switched to 1.5 seconds,” because “for us, it would not be the brutality of acceleration that can define us,” but “effortless overtaking performance from a huge amount of torque on demand.”
Giving an example of the latter, the Bentley CEO said that “most people enjoy the 30 to 70 mph (50-113 kph) acceleration, or in Germany, the 30 to 150 mph (50-240 kph) acceleration.” Thus, it does seem like the right thing to do in a car that’s not all about straight-line performance, but mixes it with a posh interior, extra sound deadening, and what should be a magic carpet-like ride. After all, the said model will eventually gun for the likes of Rolls-Royce’s zero-emission vehicles.
It is still unknown what type of body style Bentley’s first EV will have, but it will be built around the Volkswagen Group’s PPE (Premium Performance Electric) platform, otherwise signed by Audi and Porsche. Moreover, it won’t exactly look like an electric car, as that’s not the goal. In terms of pricing, one version should kick off at over €250,000 (equaling to around $263,000), which is a price point that the company exited when they pulled the plug on the Mulsanne two years ago.
“If we are 650 hp now with the GT Speed, we will be double that with the BEV. But from a 0 to 60 mph point of view, there are diminishing returns. The thrill of 2.4 seconds to 60 mph is great about 10 times. Then it just becomes nauseous,” said Hallmark. “You can have 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds. Or it can be switched to 1.5 seconds,” because “for us, it would not be the brutality of acceleration that can define us,” but “effortless overtaking performance from a huge amount of torque on demand.”
Giving an example of the latter, the Bentley CEO said that “most people enjoy the 30 to 70 mph (50-113 kph) acceleration, or in Germany, the 30 to 150 mph (50-240 kph) acceleration.” Thus, it does seem like the right thing to do in a car that’s not all about straight-line performance, but mixes it with a posh interior, extra sound deadening, and what should be a magic carpet-like ride. After all, the said model will eventually gun for the likes of Rolls-Royce’s zero-emission vehicles.
It is still unknown what type of body style Bentley’s first EV will have, but it will be built around the Volkswagen Group’s PPE (Premium Performance Electric) platform, otherwise signed by Audi and Porsche. Moreover, it won’t exactly look like an electric car, as that’s not the goal. In terms of pricing, one version should kick off at over €250,000 (equaling to around $263,000), which is a price point that the company exited when they pulled the plug on the Mulsanne two years ago.
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