Bentley electric car at least five years away, eyes solid-state batteries
Bentley's CEO seemed to hint we'll first see an electric crossover of sorts from the brand.
Welcome to a new decade, in which automotive investments into electrification and automation will surely only ramp up. Bentley is all aboard that boat, but plans to take its time to deliver a "credible" electric car in due time. In other words, we'll likely be halfway through the decade before we see a battery-electric Bentley.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark told Automotive News Europe that 2025 is the "earliest" date on the calendar for an electric machine from the British luxury marque. The next wave of investment will all be geared toward electrification, though Hallmark wouldn't speak to the future EV's bones, that is, what platform a Bentley EV will ride on.
The best guess is Volkswagen Group's PPE architecture, which will specifically underpin plenty of premium electric cars in the years to come. Hallmark simply said PPE is a VW Group project, with different brands tackling various portions of development. "No comment" was the response when the executive was asked what part Bentley has taken.
As for the future technology, Bentley appears to eye solid-state batteries, as much of the industry does. The technology packs greater energy density than today's lithium-ion batteries, and they're far less volatile in operation. Truly, they remain a "holy grail" kind of technology for automakers and companies. Manufacturing complications leave solid-state batteries out of reach today, since there's no method to produce them. Numerous companies have said this decade will create the breakthrough moment, and Bentley is riding that train, too.
Hallmark said these batteries are already on the company's radar for the mid-2020 time period. It could be Bentley is waiting for this technology to deliver the mentioned "credible" EV. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: The cars we're most looking forward to in 2020
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