Bentley’s CEO, Adrian Hallmark, has confirmed that the company’s first electric car, set to be released in 2026, will be equipped with hands-free driving capabilities.
The upcoming electric vehicle, to be revealed in 2025, will be built on the new Performance Platform Electric (PPE) architecture, which was developed in collaboration with Audi and Porsche. It will also utilize the Volkswagen Group’s 1.2 software, enabling hands-free driving.
Hallmark verified that Bentley will incorporate Mobileye’s SuperVision technology, which has recently been approved for use in the Porsche e-Macan. This technology utilizes 11 cameras, Mobileye’s EyeQ5 chip, and crowd-sourced high-definition maps to enable hands-off, eyes-on level two-plus autonomy.
Initially, the Bentley EV will offer partial hands-off driving on motorways and automated parking, with full autonomous capabilities to follow at a later stage, according to Hallmark’s statement to Autocar magazine.
Mobileye claims that SuperVision enables level three autonomy, allowing for hands-free and eyes-off driving on motorways.
The Bentley EV, along with the Porsche e-Macan and Audi Q6 E-tron, has experienced delays due to the sluggish development of the 1.2 software within the Volkswagen Group.
The final approval process for the 1.2 software, which is intended for premium vehicles within the group, is currently being overseen by Peter Bosch, former Bentley manufacturing head and current head of the Cariad software unit.
The PPE electric architecture, as stated by Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume, will allow for power outputs of up to 939bhp, revealing the potential performance that can be expected from the Bentley EV.
Hallmark has previously mentioned that the electric vehicle will be an incremental addition to the existing Bentley lineup. He expressed the company’s intention to not only introduce an EV but also to carve out a new segment in the market.
Bentley has announced its plans to launch five new electric cars within a span of five years, starting with the groundbreaking model in 2025.