BENTLEY

Mark follows the course of electrification in 2025

The British manufacturer is considering launching its first fully electric vehicle to help reduce fleet emissions, as it is assumed that PHEVs alone will not suffice. Citing the increased legal barriers to emissions producing vehicles, the decision will fall within the year.Although Bentley has previously considered PHEVs the answer to reducing their carbon footprint, which is among the highest in the industry with their heavy sedans and SUVs. The discussion is now considered using the EV architecture currently under development by Porsche and Audi called PPE (Premium Platform Electric). The firsts vehicles using the PPE platform are expected to launch in 2021, improving acceleration, top speeds and recharging times over the current platform generation. Should the decision fail to go ahead and produce BEV, CEO Adrian Hallmark says the "target is definitely before 2025".The company had presented an all-electric concept in 2017 at the Geneva Motor Show, named the EXP12 Speed ​​6e. The two-seater is said to have a range above 300 km, using a pair of axle-mounted motors. This model was based on a previous hybrid concept developed by Bentley; The EXP 10 Speed ​​6 was a two-seater which used a hybrid drivetrain to combine six-cylinder engine with two electric motors.Bentley has had to accept an operating loss of 137 million euros so far this year, largely due to production delays for its upcoming new Continental GT, which uses the VW Group's MSB platform for rear-wheel drive cars as a basis. The difficulty in adapting the Porsche double clutch system is reportedly one of the causes behind the delays.Electrification will also likely play a larger cost factor in the company's future, which Bentley hopes to minimize by allying with Porsche for their electrification plans, which is considered "an important issue for Bentley and the brand's alignment with Porsche as part of the group's superpremium business unit could help, "according to VW Group's finance chief Frank Witter.


C. Randall