Bentley could launch its first electric car in 2025 with solid-state batteries

Bentley could launch its first electric car in 2020 with solid-state batteries. What’s more, everything points to it taking the form of a high-performance SUV. We’ll have to wait…

Bentley believes it could have a fully electric vehicle on the road by 2025.

While recently speaking with some industry sources, Bentley’s chairman and chief executive, Adrian Hallmark, said that electrification will play a key role in the future of the British carmaker.

2025, will it be the chosen date for the unveiling of the first fully electric Bentley?

“We have said that 2025 is the earliest we can get a credible Bentley electric battery car,” Hallmark revealed. “So the next phase of our investment would be linked to that electrification. We’re still working on whether we produce the luxury vehicles on the same line or whether we have additional build areas that incorporate subcomponents in a different way.”

As for what will be Bentley’s first electric vehicle, Hallmark said the company “could take one of its existing platforms” and then build a pure electric car. However, he was keen to point out that the company would simply not take an existing product and try to fit a battery and electric motors.

Hallmark added that Bentley’s ambition is to use a bespoke version of the PPE architecture developed jointly by Porsche and Audi. He has also assured that the brand could use solid-state batteries.

“I’m not saying we’re guaranteed to move to solid state, but it’s already on the radar within that mid-2020 period. They’re roughly 30 per cent lighter for the same power as lithium-ion. A Jaguar I-Pace has 720 kg of batteries, so going to 500 kg instead of 720 kg makes a difference. Plus, think about how that changes the packaging.”

Adrian Hallmark has had a difficult time since returning to Bentley as CEO in February 2018 after 13 years away from the British luxury brand, seven of which were spent at Jaguar Land Rover. Long delays in launching three key models: the Bentley Continental GT Coupé, the convertible, and the Bentley Flying Spur saloon, led the brand to a rare loss last year as dealers were deprived of cars to sell.

Bentley returned to profit in the first six months, leaving Hallmark confident of a strong 2019 and an even better 2020. This will give him momentum as he begins preparing the company’s long-established base in Crewe, England, to add production of Bentley’s first electric car.

When Hallmark was asked about the platform on which his first electric car will be developed, the CEO assured that “I think electric cars will be a bit taller because of where the batteries are now. However, with new battery technologies, it will be possible to make cars both lower and taller because the higher power density will overcome aerodynamic drag,” meaning the first electric car from the luxury automaker may well turn out to be a high-performance, zero-emission SUV.