Bentley Pledges To Go All-EV by 2030, Rolls-Royce Still Reluctant
By Edward A. Sanchez – Nov. 9, 2020
It may have taken Tesla going from a niche brand to fast-growing global juggernaut, as well as regulations and emissions targets coming fast and furious to get legacy car brands to start taking electrification seriously, but it’s finally happening. The latest brand to pledge its commitment to a hydrocarbon-free future is Bentley. Considering how gung-ho of late its parent company Volkswagen AG is on electrification, this development doesn’t come as a huge shock.
Since longer-range EV batteries have become a reality in the last five years, the electrification of luxury cars makes perfect sense. Other than the inconvenience of waiting to charge, the powertrain characteristics of EVs fit luxury cars perfectly. Think about it: Instant, seamless, linear torque, silent operation, and shift-free acceleration from standstill to top speed.
Despite these obvious advantages, many luxury brands have been hesitant to go all-in on EVs, claiming their customers “weren’t interested.” Before the Tesla Model S, that may have been the case, with the dominant EV in the marketplace being the Nissan Leaf, which at the time of its introduction had a paltry 73-mile range. Range in itself is a luxury of sorts, with the ability to go from your trip origin to destination uninterrupted. Which is likely why Lucid is claiming a 500-plus mile range for its upcoming Air luxury sedan, making a non-stop trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or New York City to Boston or Washington D.C. hypothetically possible.
Of course, the ultimate brand to go all-electric would certainly be Rolls-Royce. For more than a century, the ultra-premium brand has made its name with coddling, leather-lined interiors, an intense focus on quietness and comfort, and a pillowy, isolated ride. Rolls-Royce in fact showed the 102EX concept based on the Phantom sedan at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show as a proof-of-concept of an electrified Rolls-Royce.
The Rolls-Royce 102EX EV concept unveiled in 2011 was an unfulfilled dream. Eventually, an EV Rolls may become a reality, and when it does, it will undoubtedly be equipped with specs befitting the upper crust. (Image courtesy Rolls-Royce)
With the battery and charging technology of the time, it had a rated range of only 124 miles. The concept never made it to production because they saw the act of having to plug a charging cable into their car as “unbecoming” of their owners. Hypothetically giving their well-heeled customers a contactless refueling option, the concept was also equipped with an inductive charging system. Nissan’s quasi-proprietary CHAdeMO DC fast-charging standard had only been introduced that same year, so the 102EX lacked any DC fast-charging provision as we know them now.
Fast-forward to today, and Rolls-Royce is once again developing an EV, however reluctantly. Rolls’ CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös candidly admitted there is almost zero demand for EVs from its customers, but that regulations being adopted by the European Union, China, and most recently by the state of California (as a somewhat nebulous gubernatorial executive order) are forcing its hand. Simply put, if the brand wants to keep selling new vehicles in those markets, they’re going to have to be fueled by electrons.
There will likely always be luxury customers with an aloof arrogance and apathy toward the environment, fuel economy, and the other mundane concerns of the “99 Percent,” but like it or not, the ultra-wealthy are still subject to the same regulations on consumer products as everyone else. Whether or not they want to spend six or seven figures on retrofitting their future EVs with combustion powertrains is another matter. But at the pace that electric powertrain technology is improving, the question will be “Why?”
(Main image courtesy Bentley)
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