The ultra-exclusive Batur signals the beginning of the end for Bentley’s venerable W12 ahead of 2030 when the V6 and V8 will also be discontinued. Yes, Crewe will go purely electric in seven years’ time, kicking things off with a first EV scheduled to come out in 2026. In an extended interview with British magazine Autocar, CEO Adrian Hallmark shared some juicy preliminary details about the company’s upcoming zero-emission models.
Two battery specifications are planned, and the sporty Speed-badged models will benefit from what the head honcho refers to as “the W12 of batteries.” He went on to mention the electric motors will deliver anywhere between 50 to 100 percent more power than the current crop of internal combustion engines.
In the Batur, the twin-turbo 6.0-liter unit has been dialed to a colossal 740 hp and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. In an interview with Automotive News Europe last year, Hallmark didn’t rule out the possibility of launching a 1,400-hp EV with a 0 to 60 mph time in as little as 1.5 seconds.
As far as range is concerned, Bentley’s head honcho promised the EVs will be able to cover 350 to 450 miles (563 to 724 kilometers) on a single charge. Once you’re out of juice, it’ll take less than 20 minutes to replenish the battery pack from 10 to 80 percent. Hallmark says these future EVs will have just about the same driving range as the gas-guzzling ICE models on sale today.
The CEO mentioned Bentleys will remain Bentleys in terms of size, meaning they’ll be imposingly large cars: “Our job is to build Bentleys, not BEVs with Bentley badges attached.” He added some compromises will be made for the sake of better aerodynamics to improve efficiency.
During the same interview, Hallmark also touched on e-fuels. Although he believes they’re “really exciting” and the technology has matured, the production capacity necessary to fully replace fossil fuels is a long way off. Porsche, also a member of the Volkswagen Group, started production of synthetic fuel in late 2022 at its plant in Chile.
The VW core brand through the voice of its CEO, Thomas Schäfer, said earlier this week that talks about e-fuel are “unucessary noise,” labeling ICE as “old technology.”
