The Big EV About-face

Experts at top carmakers share insights on approaches to the electrification of road-ready vehicles.

- Words: Brett Berk

WHEN BENTLEY LAUNCHED its Beyond 100 strategy in 2020, the venerable British marque examined the global regulatory and consumer environment, factored in projections for growth in required infrastructure, and decided it would become a fully electric-car company by 2030. Then something unforeseen happened: public adoption, government incentives, and charging-network development slowed, so Bentley had to slacken the pace of its transition, too. It has now published a Beyond 100+ revision, pushing this deadline forward at least five years.

Such a shift invokes concomitant issues, ones that Bentley is not alone in facing. Automakers typically design models for seven-year life cycles, at a usual cost of about US$1 billion. When a manufacturer opts to cease producing petrol-powered vehicles, it stops envisioning and investing in future internal-combustion-engined replacements. But if timelines and demands change, as they appear to have here, the marque suddenly lacks product and must somehow fill the void.