Bentley recently discontinued the production of its flagship, the Mulsanne. With the disappearance of this model, which was the main bastion of Bentley against the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom, the range of sedans of the British manufacturer has been reduced to the Flying Spur. A model closely related to the Continental GT sports car.
However, the absence of a sedan in the Mulsanne category from Bentley’s offer will only be temporary: the brand is developing its replacement, which will have the peculiarity of being 100% electric. Although there are still several years to go before its launch, Bentley has already shown us the engine that will equip its future top range.
Developed by Bentley itself, this new powertrain, dubbed the OCTOPUS (octopus), has been designed to achieve extremely high performance. The set consists of two twin electric motors without copper coils, a material that has been replaced by another recyclable one. According to the firm, its performance will be much higher than that of a conventional electric motor.
The OCTOPUS propeller integrates the two electric motors, the transmission, and the power electronics under the same unit. Although OCTOPUS is a prototype in whose development nine companies have collaborated during a total of eighteen months of work, there are still a few years to go before it reaches production.
Initially, the first electric Bentley will hit the market in 2026 by the hand of the first generation of solid electrolyte cells. The company still has several years to continue refining this powertrain that is possibly specially adapted to the modular PPE platform that Audi and Porsche are jointly developing for the high-end vehicles of the Volkswagen Group.
It is possible that, despite being a Bentley development, the OCTOPUS propeller will reach other brands of the group earlier, because as can be seen, the electrification process of the English brand will be quite slow. Something that contrasts considerably with the strategy Volkswagen Group corporate, which is making a firm and ambitious general commitment to the electric car.