When Bentley announced its beefy Hybrid Concept for the 2014 Beijing auto show, the company was long on broad potential benefits and future plans for its new hybrid system, but woefully short on detail. Discontented, we decided to bother the brand's outgoing CEO, Dr. Wolfgang Schrieber, in Beijing for specifics—and got some.
As we suspected, the setup will be quite simple and familiar to fans of VW Group hybrids: A thin electric motor/generator embedded between the engine and transmission will help power the rear wheels and be aided by a bevy of batteries. Unknown at this point is the size of the battery pack, among other details, but it seems this lack of specificity has more to do with the plug-in system's ongoing development than a desire for secrecy.
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Schrieber did tell us that the plug-in system is scalable and compatible with different engines—it sounds as though both Bentley's twin-turbo V-8s and its twin-turbo W-12 play nice—but added that the W-12 kind of defeats the plug-in's fuel-saving mission. The setup's adaptability, however, is key—Schrieber has said he wants 90 percent of Bentley's lineup to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Interestingly, when asked whether the 10 percent mix off-limits to hybrids would include Bentley's S and Speed models, he coyly reiterated that the plug-in's electric motor adds not only efficiency, but power. So we'll just have to wait and see how Bentley positions its eco- and potentially enthusiast-conscious plug-in rides.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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