Bentley Unveils Torcal, Its First Fully Electric Vehicle

Bentley unveiled the Torcal on September 23, its first fully electric vehicle, a luxury SUV the company says will be built at its Crewe plant in northwest England. The launch marks Bentley’s entry into the fully electric market as it seeks to attract both existing customers and buyers new to the brand. The company says the Torcal can travel up to 375 miles on a charge. Bentley’s reported charging estimates vary, but place the time to charge from 10% to 80% at roughly 16 to 20 minutes using a high-capacity charger. These are manufacturer figures; independent testing of range and charging performance was not provided. Two versions are planned: a core model with about 810 horsepower and a sportier S version with 876 horsepower. Reports put the S’s acceleration from zero to 60 mph at between 2.8 and 2.9 seconds. Bentley has not established a single confirmed starting price in the available reports, which cite figures from £165,000 to £173,000, while another gives an unconfirmed estimate of £180,000. Bentley says the Torcal will be produced at Crewe, where it has invested £350 million, including in a new assembly line.