Jan. 26 Bentley announced that it will develop and manufacture its first all-electric model in the Uk, with the new car expected to roll off the production line in 2025.
All Bentley models are currently produced at Crewe's headquarters plant in the UK, which currently employs around 4,000 people. To achieve electrification and sustainability, Bentley plans to invest £2.5 billion in related sectors over the next decade.
This significant investment will enable a complete transformation of Bentley's full range of models and production facilities. The historic Crewe factory has become the world's leading next-generation digital factory.
In 2015 I went to Bentley's Crewe headquarters factory, a nearly century-old factory that produced aircraft engines before cars were produced. The factory of Laowai is completely different from the image of the factory in China, and the old factory of Crewe and Porsche 911 is somewhat similar, and both retain a very historical red-wall structure factory.
Today, Porsche's new electric vehicle factory in Stuttgart is built next to the original 911 production plant, and the two factories are not in conflict. It is believed that Bentley, a luxury brand with a history, will continue to develop on the basis of the original factory.
The new car that will only be off the production line in 2025, what model it is, is definitely still confidential. But we can find some clues in Bentley's electrification plans, as well as previous electric concept cars.
In 2020, Bentley announced the "Beyond100" business strategy, in which a key step is to "achieve the goal of pure electrification and full carbon neutrality of all products by 2030". That is to say, in the next eight years to achieve pure electrification of the entire range of products, remember that this is an ultra-luxury brand.
At the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show, Bentley brought a new all-electric concept car, the EXP 12 Speed 6e.
The EXP 12 Speed 6e features Bentley's signature mesh grille on the front and a striking copper finish that represents the electric '6e' logo of "stunning". At that time, everyone wondered, why bentley built a pure electric car?
We interviewed Rolf Frech, a member of Bentley's board of directors who is in charge of engineering. Rolf Fletcher said: "The EXP 12 Speed 6e is a two-seater model, but does not want it to have any overlap in positioning with the Continental GT.
One of the purposes of the EXP 12 Speed 6e electric concept car is to test the market's acceptance of electric vehicles, and whether consumers are still willing to buy after considering some disadvantages of electric vehicles, such as mileage, charging, etc.
It seems that electrification is already an irreversible direction, and as a member of the Volkswagen Group, including Porsche, there are many reserves of electric vehicle technology. I believe that Bentley has considered these factors, and decided to launch Bentley's first pure electric model three years later.
That is, the first electric model of Bentley in the future, it is likely to be a two-seat sports car like the EXP 12 Speed 6e. Electrification has further rejuvenated Bentley's brand.
In 2019, the EXP 100 GT concept was released to celebrate the centenary of the Bentley brand. The EXP 100 GT is equipped with an intelligent electric drivetrain with intelligent power and charge management functions. Importantly, it has the same power as traditional fuel vehicles.
Bentley did not provide a specific battery model, but said that the energy density of the battery is five times that of conventional batteries, the range can still reach 700 kilometers, and 80% of the charging capacity can be completed in 15 minutes, and the charging is automatically managed by the "Bentley Personal Intelligent Assist" system. But the most powerful thing is that the EXP 100 GT weighs only 1900 kg.
The EXP 100 GT Concept is equipped with the "Next Generation Traction Drive" (NextGeneration Traction Drive) to achieve maximum control through torque vectoring, increasing power by 50% and weight by 35%, making driving in corners easier and calmer.
The battery system powers four electric motors and drives the vehicle to accelerate from 100 km/h from standstill to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds, with a top speed of 300 km/h and a peak torque of 1500 Nm.
One of our concerns is that there is data showing that 70% of the cars bentley made a long time ago are still usable. The problem is that electric vehicle-related technologies are developing very rapidly, and will they soon fall behind.
At the time, Rolf Fletcher said that on the technical side, Bentley would ensure that the technology used in the vehicle was constantly updated or regularly updated. But Bentley emphasizes the value of the brand itself, and what Bentley needs to do is to keep battery technology up to date with the development of the times and ensure that they can still be quickly replaced in the future development process.
Indeed, one of the advantages of the ultra-luxury brand is that whether it is Bentley or Rolls-Royce, what everyone cares about most is not a certain element such as its engine or chassis, but the whole of the car. Every ultra-luxury brand is a work of art, and the technology itself can be constantly upgraded.
So Bentley's purpose is to build a work of art-like electric vehicles. Bentley believes that electric vehicles are not cars without emotion and personality, and can make consumers feel that this electric vehicle is a real Bentley through its shape and design.