Bentley has delayed its plan to go fully electric, but its first EV is on target for 2026
Bentley is on course to launch its first EV in 2026, but its goal to become fully electric has been pushed back to 2035
With hybrid versions of the Continental GT, Flying Spur and Bentayga in its staple, Bentley’s electrification strategy is well underway – but its switch to becoming a fully electric car maker will come later than initially planned. The firm has delayed its EV-only target from 2030 to 2035, hedging its bets on legislation allowing for the sale of hybrid models into the next decade.
Despite the new target, Crewe is still on track to reveal its first EV in 2026, which it terms the ‘world’s first luxury urban SUV.’ A silhouette of the new model hints at a sleeker body shape than the Bentayga, which would benefit its aero efficiency and EV range. The SUV is likely to adopt the Volkswagen Group’s Premium Platform Electric architecture, which underpins the new electric Porsche Macan and Audi’s Q6 e-tron.
These two models demonstrate that the platform has flexibility to deliver markedly different dynamic characters depending on tuning, with the Porsche being much more precise and dynamic than the more relaxed Q6. The Bentley is expected to lean towards luxury and cruising comfort.
The platform is built around an 800-volt electrical system and can accept single or dual motors – it’d be fair to assume that the Bentley will come exclusively with the latter. Charging speeds of 270kW are possible too, with top spec versions of the Macan and Q6 packing 95kWh (usable) battery packs to deliver well over 350 miles from a charge. Performance isn’t in short supply, either, with the Macan Turbo offering 630bhp and a 3.3sec 0-62mph time.
The new EV forms part of Bentley’s Beyond100+ strategy, which will see it launch a new plug-in or fully electric model every year for the next decade. The delay in going fully electric means that you can expect the firm’s Ultra Performance Hybrid V8 powertrain to live on for a while yet, and going by our first taste of it in the crushingly fast and refined new Continental GT Speed, that can only be a good thing.
