Bentley is demonstrating the fact that his models are not only true luxury on wheels, but also resilient ones.
Using only energy from waste straw and the power of the planet, an engineering prototype Flying Spur Hybrid has completed a dramatic test as part of the car’s sign off and Bentley’s development of renewable fuels. The Azure Purple Flying Spur Hybrid covered the 733 km (455 miles) required to drive across Iceland in a single stint and entirely on renewable power, through a combination of 100 per cent second generation biofuel and geothermally-sourced electricity available from the Icelandic power grid.
The journey is validation both of the grand touring range of Bentley’s new Hybrid – the second to be launched following the Bentayga Hybrid – and of Bentley’s research into biofuels that can be used without engine modification. The fuel used conforms to the same EN228 standard as ordinary pump gasoline, yet is created entirely from waste biomass (e.g. straw) at no cost to food production or the natural ecosystem. The combination of this fuel and the Flying Spur Hybrid’s intelligent electrified powertrain meant an overall reduction of 45 per cent in CO2 emissions on a well-to-wheels basis over the course of the adventure. Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation for Iceland, witnessed the Flying Spur Hybrid’s journey.
The Flying Spur Hybrid represents Bentley’s next step on a journey to becoming the world’s most sustainable luxury mobility company, as laid out by the brand’s Beyond100 strategy. Market introductions across the world begin in 2022. This will see all models in the range offered with a hybrid powertrain by 2024, ahead of the company’s first full BEV by 2025.
