Bentley is hoping to launch their first electric vehicle (EV) in 2025, the first step along their path in becoming an all-electric automaker by 2030. According to CEO Adrian Hallmark, that first EV will offer up to 1,400 horsepower and be able to reach 60mph in about 1.5 seconds.
If Bentley is able to deliver on those figures it would handily beat the current 0-60 record set the Model S Plaid. But Hallmark says that acceleration won’t be the main selling point of the first Bentley EV since at those levels it becomes meaningless and is more than most people can physically handle.
To help deal with that problem the high performance will be optional, with owners being able to slow down the 0-60mph time to a more comfortable 2.7 seconds.
Instead of acceleration Hallmark wants to focus on the “effortless overtaking performance” of the EV, something which he thinks will be more appealing to buyers.
When it does arrive, the Bentley EV won’t be cheap. According to Hallmark, it will be priced in the range of the now discontinued Mulsanne, which sold for over €250,000 ($338,000 CAD).
Bentley is planning to spend $3.4 billion to go fully electric by 2030. The luxury automaker will spend the investment in research and development, and retool and update their plant in Crewe, England, where this first Bentley EV will be built.
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Source: Automotive News
