Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark said the luxury automaker’s first electric vehicle (EV), expected to go into production in 2025, will be capable of delivering 1,400 horsepower and going 0-60 mph in about 1.5 seconds — reports Automotive News.
The quickest 0-60 mph production car today, Tesla’s Model S Plaid, takes 1.99 seconds and offers a maximum of 1,111 in comparison.
But to Halllmark, the planned EV’s monstrous acceleration takes the back seat in favor of “effortless overtaking performance from a huge amount of torque on demand,” the CEO told Automotive News.
Hallmark said that most drivers enjoy quick acceleration at higher speeds (30 to 70 mph, or 30 to 150 mph in Germany) more than from a complete stop. He also noted that the thrill of going 0-60 mph in just 2.4 seconds gets pretty boring, if not nausea-inducing, pretty quick.
Therefore, premium carmaker’s first EV will give the customer a choice between a comfortably quick acceleration and something that will truly knock their socks off. “You can have 0-60 mph in 2.7 seconds. Or it can be switched to 1.5 seconds,” said Hallmark.
The Bentley CEO did not divulge any details on what the company’s first EV will look like or even what body style it will sport. Hallmark did, however, reveal that at least one trim of the first electric Bentley will cost more than €250,000 ($261,000 USD).
Bentley will start producing its first all-electric offering at its factory in Crewe, England, sometime in 2025. Volkswagen plans for the Bentley brand to go completely plug-in by 2026, and all-electric by 2030.
