Bentley’s First Electric Car to Offer Hands-Free Driving Capability
Bentley, the UK-based luxury car brand, is set to launch its first electric vehicle (EV) in 2026. The new EV will be built on the Performance Platform Electric (PPE) architecture developed in collaboration with Audi and Porsche. The PPE platform is designed to support electric vehicles with power outputs of up to 939bhp. The Bentley EV will use Volkswagen Group’s software 1.2, which enables hands-free driving. The new car will also feature Mobileye’s SuperVision technology, which uses 11 cameras, Mobileye’s EyeQ5 chip, and crowd-sourced high-definition maps to allow hands-off, eyes-on level-two-plus autonomy.
Partial Hands-Off Driving on Motorways and Automated Parking
The Bentley EV will initially offer partial hands-off driving on motorways and automated parking. The car’s full autonomous driving capability will be available later. Mobileye has said that SuperVision allows for level-three, hands-free, eyes-off autonomy on motorways. The slow development of the 1.2 software within the Volkswagen Group has led to the delay of the Bentley EV, as well as the Porsche e-Macan and Audi Q6 E-tron on the same platform.
Ex-Bentley Manufacturing Head Appointed Head of Cariad Software Unit
The final approval of the 1.2 software, aimed at premium cars within the Volkswagen Group, is now being led by ex-Bentley manufacturing head Peter Bosch. He was appointed head of the Cariad software unit in May following a shake-up in the troubled division. The PPE electric architecture will allow power of up to 939bhp, giving a hint at the likely output of the Bentley EV.
An Incremental Product to the Current Line-Up
Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark has previously said that the EV will be “an incremental product” to the current line-up. “We intend to create not just an EV but to shape a segment too,” he told Autocar last year. Bentley plans to launch five new electric cars in five years, starting from the unveiling of the first, segment-busting car in 2025.
Conclusion
Bentley’s first electric car is set to offer hands-free driving capability and will be built on the PPE architecture developed alongside Audi and Porsche. The car will use Volkswagen Group’s software 1.2, which enables hands-free driving, and Mobileye’s SuperVision technology, which uses 11 cameras, Mobileye’s EyeQ5 chip, and crowd-sourced high-definition maps to allow hands-off, eyes-on level-two-plus autonomy. The Bentley EV will initially offer partial hands-off driving on motorways and automated parking, with full autonomous driving capability available later. The PPE electric architecture will allow power of up to 939bhp, giving a hint at the likely output of the Bentley EV. Bentley plans to launch five new electric cars in five years, starting from the unveiling of the first, segment-busting car in 2025.