Bentley, the Crewe based British manufacturer of some of the most desirable cars is celebrating their centenary. As part of the celebration, they have decided to make their contribution to sustainable motoring. The company aims to offer an electric version of all their models by 2023. The transition will be evolutionary, and Bentley has decided to take the next step by introducing a plug-in hybrid version of their luxo barge, the Bentayga. The Bentayga is Bentley’s full sized SUV, a large machine for munching miles in comfort and style.

Bentley is offering the Bentayga as a true plug-in hybrid. The car is powered by a 3.0 litre V-6 petrol engine coupled to a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. This motor produces 94 KW of peak power and 400 N-m of torque from the word go. The combine power plant generated 700 N-m of torque which allows the Bentayga a 0-100 km/h time of 5.5 seconds which is impressive for a car which weighs over two tonnes. This power plant generated enough power to push the Bentayga to a top speed of 254 km/h.

The car is offered with a navigation system specially designed to interface with the power plant. This navigation provides inputs to the car’s power plant to utilise the petrol engine as well as the electric motor in the most optimum manner to achieve maximum fuel efficiency as well as a non-polluting all electric drive within cities.

The bentayga has three driving modes to exploit the hybrid power plant. These are: –

  • EV Drive – the car is driven only using the batteries. This would be the most preferred mode for in city driving to beat the congestion charges imposed in several European cities.
  • Hybrid Mode – the car’s power plant takes inputs from the navigation system for an optimal drive for maximum fuel efficiency and range.
  • Hold Mode – the engine and electric power are used in such a manner that the electric only mode is charged and ready for later use.

In all the driving modes the batteries are charged through regenerative braking. The battery is a high tech piece of equipment which uses a high voltage charging system to fully charge the batteries in 2-1/2 hours. The car has a maximum range of 747 km and an electric only range of 39 km. To date, the Bentayga is the most fuel efficient model offered by Bentley.

In addition to the hybrid driving modes, the Bantayga has an all wheel drive system and comes with the standard driving modes offered on the other Bentayga models, namely, Sport, Bentley, Comfort and Custom. As the car requires some different information to be conveyed to the driver, the infotainment system and the driver’s information panel have been tweaked to offer details on performance, consumption and energy source. The tachometer has been replaced with a dial which shows when the car is operating in pure EV Drive. Its also displays the engine speed if the petrol engine is operating. The coolant temperature gauge has been replaced by a battery status dial. The infotainment screen now displays energy flow in each of the three E Modes. The information shows whether the vehicle is being powered by the battery, or the petrol engine. It also shows whether energy is flowing back to the battery in order to charge it.

A number of Hybrid-specific functions are also being introduced to the latest Connected Car ‘MyBentley3’ services. These include Remote Battery Charging, Remote Heating & Cooling, and Vehicle Status Report, operated via a smartphone app.

The Bentayga Hybrid’s Vehicle Charge Point is located on the opposite side to the normal fuel filler. From here, the car can be connected to either a domestic power supply, or a public charger point. The rear luggage compartment will hold two bespoke bags containing the necessary cables to connect the car to either.

The car is hand built at Crewe. It takes Bentley artisans 130 hours to build each car. The world’s most luxurious SUV also has the world’s finest automotive cabin, the epitome of modern British design and available with a range of unique personalisation options.

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