Bentley's First Electric Car Successfully Passed Extreme Testing

• 30.10.2026, 15:40

From temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero to an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level.

The first electric vehicle from the British brand Bentley—the Torcal SUV—has undergone more than one million kilometers of testing under extreme conditions. Engineers tested it in temperatures as low as 38 degrees and as high as 40 degrees, put it through its paces at altitudes of over 4,200 meters, and subjected the battery to severe stress. It took several years to prepare the vehicle for market release, according to Motor1 (translation by Charter97.org).

Testing took place in Sweden, in desert regions, and on Pikes Peak in the U.S. Three specialized teams were involved in the development, responsible for the electrical architecture, software, and testing. Software updates were released every six weeks, first tested in laboratories and then on actual vehicles. Bentley refers to this system as part of its own “electronic ecosystem.”

Special attention was paid to battery safety. The 113.3 kWh battery withstood a test involving a 30 mm diameter steel projectile fired at the underbody at a speed of over 159 km/h. The battery’s ability to resist the spread of fire for two hours was also tested.

The Torcal First Edition delivers 876 horsepower and approximately 1,350 Nm of torque. The 800-volt architecture allows the battery to be charged at up to 400 kW: recharging from 10% to 80% takes the claimed 16 minutes under suitable conditions.

The battery itself weighs about 625 kg, and the SUV weighs nearly 2.8 metric tons.