Everything You Need To Know About Bentley's EV

In a recent interview with Automotive News, Bentley's CEO Adrian Hallmark confirmed the inevitable: an electric Bentley was on the way soon. With many other VW Group brands already featuring electric cars in their lineup, it seemed only a matter of time until the Crewe-based manufacturer joined the club. If the recent success of fellow VW stablemate Porsche's Taycan is anything to go by, it seems likely that an EV would have the potential to significantly boost Bentley's sales figures, which are already at record levels. But, the question remains, can they get the formula right on the first try?

Bentley seems to be confident about its prospects, claiming that the car's unique selling point will be its "effortless overtaking," enabled by some acceleration figures that seem almost too good to be true. After a period of flagging sales at the start of the century, the past decade has been very kind to Bentley, which has managed to rejuvenate itself to appeal to a fresh batch of well-heeled clients. This new EV might well be its golden ticket to keep itself ahead of the pack, but there's a lot riding on the as-yet-unnamed car.

The biggest hint that Bentley has given so far on what the new EV might look like is the EXP 100 GT Concept, which debuted in 2019 and was supposed to preview what the brand's design language could look like by 2035. It still looks reassuringly like a traditional Bentley GT, but longer, sleeker, and with a uniquely designed integrated grille/headlight combo. Although Bentley insisted at the time that this was a vision 16 years into the future, it may very well become the primary inspiration for the new EV that's set to debut in just three years' time.

The EXP 100 GT Concept also featured an autonomous driving mode, so it seems likely that Bentley will begin the shift to self-driving features sooner rather than later. It wouldn't be surprising to see semi-autonomous driving features in the new EV, although as Top Gear pointed out in their review of the Bentayga SUV, Bentleys often feel so easy to drive that semi-autonomous features feel a bit superfluous.

One of the biggest benefits of electrification from a performance standpoint is the potential for much greater horsepower figures than an equivalent gasoline engine could achieve. Bentley is taking full advantage of this, with Hallmark stating that the goal is to double their current top horsepower output with the new car. He gives the example of the Continental GT Speed, which currently makes about 650 horsepower.

So, in top-spec form, buyers can expect the new EV to make around 1,300 horsepower, perhaps more. The problem, Adrian Hallmark says, with increasing power by this much, is that there are diminishing returns in terms of the driving experience. The more power that is crammed into a luxury car, the less likely it is that the driver will ever want to utilize all that power, which makes it essentially redundant. So, it seems after this big leap in horsepower is achieved with the switch to electric power, Bentley won't be in a rush to extract even more juice out of its new powerplant.

Bentley is borrowing the platform for its electric vehicles from VW stablemate Audi, using the German brand's Premium Performance Electric platform that also underpins the upcoming A6 e-tron. The platform was co-developed with Porsche and Bentley, with Adrian Hallmark keen to stress that Bentley attributes were "baked in from the beginning," rather than added in after the fact. Co-developing the platform enabled Bentley to share the burden of development costs for the parts of an EV that are often the most expensive: the battery, drive units, and many of the internal electrical systems.

While it makes financial sense to share as much of the development as possible, it remains to be seen if this impacts how unique each of the platform's cars feels to drive. Driving a Bentley and a Porsche are at the moment two very different experiences. But, with EV powertrains, in general, offering less individuality and character than combustion engines, Bentley will have to make sure to sufficiently differentiate its cars' dynamics from VW Group's other performance-oriented offerings.

As well as cutting down its emissions from the tailpipe and production process, Bentley is aiming to introduce a wider range of sustainable materials in its cars' interiors over the next few years. The EXP 100 GT Concept previewed what some of these could look like, with sustainably-sourced wool carpets and a leather-like textile upholstery that was made from a byproduct of winemaking. Some of these new materials have been debuted in production vehicles already, but it seems likely that the new EV will bring along a further raft of eco-friendly interior trim.

Wood trim will also still feature in the brand's cars, but like every other Bentley material, it will be sourced sustainably. It might be better for the planet, but Bentley's press release stresses that the new interiors will be no less luxurious than their predecessors. Rather, the focus of the brand is on how to preserve the sense of exclusivity and craftsmanship, while using a new wave of environmentally-friendly materials.

Whichever segment Bentley's new EV is launched into, it will face some tough competition. Its nearest VW rival, the Porsche Taycan, has already proved to be a smash hit, selling more units than the flagship 911 in 2021. The new Taycan Cross Turismo also signals Porsche's intent to branch out into other segments of the EV market. As well as competing with other VW Group brands, Bentley will have to go head-to-head with the swathe of newly-launched EV startups that are clamoring for their share in the market.

Rolls-Royce, too, is looking to make the switch to electrification in the near future. Its first EV, the Spectre, is set to launch in 2023, beating Bentley to the market by several years. The Spectre will be a luxurious two-door grand touring coupe, which sounds awfully similar to the EXP 100 Concept that some reports have suggested will preview the new 2025 Bentley EV. Bentley sits in a unique niche in the market in 2022, with very few brands to directly compete with. But, if it wants to stay ahead, it will have to find a way to differentiate itself from an ever more crowded field of competitors.