Bentley CEO Claims New 1400-HP EV Will Do 0-60 MPH in 1.5 Seconds
With the advent of high-performance EVs like the Tesla Model S Plaid and the Rimac Nevera, we’ve already grown somewhat accustomed to insane acceleration figures. While there is no denying how impressive a sub-2.0 second run through that performance mark is, Automotive News Europe reports the folks over at Bentley soon plan to reframe our opinion of outrageous speed once again.
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark claims the brand’s first fully electric vehicle will arrive in 2025 and could feature as much as double the amount of horsepower as the current performance-oriented GT Speed model, ANE reports. That hefty rocket’s twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12 produces 650 hp and 664 lb-ft of torque, suggesting as much as 1,400 hp could be in play for the EV. That’s obviously quite a bit of shove to have under your foot, which Hallmark notes could result in some discomfort behind the wheel.
"If we're 650 hp now with GT Speed, we will be double that with the BEV,” Hallmark says. "But from a 0 to 60 mph point of view, there are diminishing returns. The problem is, it's uncomfortable. And then it just becomes nauseous."
A new Bentley is no place to be sick, especially as a result of the car's own behavior. Hallmark doesn't believe this sort of performance will define the electrified Bentley brand, and as such, the executive further suggests that future customers will have the ability to tone down the accelerative force of the Bentley EV, should they so desire.
"You can have 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds. Or it can be switched to 1.5 seconds,” Hallmark says.
A 1.5-second pass through the 60 mph mark is an insane metric, and if true, it's one that would put Bentley right at the top of the performance market. For reference, Tesla’s Model S Plaid is the current production car ringer, capable of running the 0-60 mph sprint in just 1.9 seconds. That said, the Rimac is backed by a factory claimed 0-60 mph time of just 1.85 seconds. If the Bentley EV does arrive with 1400 hp, it will fall right between the Tesla’s rating of 1020 hp and the 1,914 hp rating of the Rimac. If it is to beat those cars to 60 mph, it will require some trick powertrain management. Bentley's plans to continue rolling out hybridized variants of its current model lineup should help the automaker fine-tune those systems.
Like the majority of European automakers, Bentley intends to become carbon neutral by the decade's end. Part of that process includes expanding investment into EVs, with more than $3 billion earmarked for improving the Crewe facility over the next 10 years. If the electric future of Bentley brings these kinds of absurd performance figures to the table, folks shouldnt have much to complain about.
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