The Electric Bentley

Our current production facility in Crewe was certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust in 2020, before any other UK luxury car factory. That certification followed 20 years of hard work, for advances including:

• A 10,000 solar panel carport (on top of 20,000 solar panels we had already installed)

• A shift to using renewable-only energy sources

• Water recycling in the paint shop

• Tree planting in the local area

• Introducing on-site beehives and wildflower meadows, boosting biodiversity

• A commitment to cutting the factory’s environmental impact by 75% by 2025.

We are now in the process of creating a next-generation ‘Dream Factory’. This digital, flexible and high-value manufacturing facility will ensure that neither our cars nor our production processes affect the environment adversely.

Find out more about Bentley's Beyond100 commitments.

The experience of owning a car today is defined not just by the physical vehicle, but also by the suite of digital services that can be used alongside it. For Bentley, many of these services are delivered by My Bentley – a smartphone app with connected features that make owning a hybrid car even easier.

For example, its E-charging feature lets you search for charging stations in your local area, on your route or at your destination. If your car is already plugged into a charging point, you can schedule it to charge at a time that suits you. You can pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin to an optimum temperature, before you get in. And you can even check whether you’ve left the windows open

The countdown to the first fully electric Bentley is part of a bigger picture, in which we are striving to achieve better environmental performance for all Bentleys – past, present and future. For cars on the road today, we are working on greener alternatives to petrol. To test the effectiveness of a candidate based on waste straw, a prototype Flying Spur Hybrid recently drove right around Iceland, powered only by clean electricity and the new fuel. CO2 emissions were cut by 45% over the course of the adventure on a well-to-wheels basis, making the project a resounding success.

Cleaner EVs are possible
Even electric vehicles can be made less damaging to the environment – which is why we are investing heavily in this area. The RaRE project (Rare-earth Recycling for E-machines) explores how discarded magnetic material can be used to make new, recyclable magnets. OCTOPUS (Optimised Components, Test and simulatiOn, toolkits for Powertrains that integrate Ultra high-speed motor Solutions) aims to create a fully integrated e-axle without any rare-earth magnets at all. An initial investigation has already delivered a breakthrough, beating standard permanent magnet motor performance. The aim now is to make it both cost-effective and fully recyclable.

Inspired by the ideas presented in the EXP 100 GT concept, we have begun introducing sustainably designed new features in limited-run hybrid cars known as Odyssean Editions.

The Flying Spur Hybrid Odyssean Edition features sustainable wool fabrics in place of some leather panels, alongside open-pore veneers that require far less lacquer in the finishing process. Alongside the underlying hybrid technology and design touches that evoke our commitment to sustainability, features like these will only become more prominent in Bentley cars.