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V8 And W12 Engines For The New Bentley Plug-In Hybrid
By kenny on January 18, 2012 in Electric cars news
Today Bentley is a luxury automaker, which seriously takes in fuel economy and keeps looking for various alternatives to power the brand’s cars.
Bentley will not ditch V8 and W12, but will use them together with brand new electric models and plug-in hybrids. The brightest example of the hybrid is 2012 Bentley Continental GT V8.
This 8 cylinder engine is a 4.0 liter turbo V8, that is about 40% more efficient than W12. New continental model of Bentley produces 487 torque pound feet and 500 horsepower. The engine W12 is massive in size (6.0 liters) and is capable to run on both E85 bioethanol and gasoline. Before Bentley’s great engine kicks in, the hybrid won’t travel far.
Bentley has no intention to produce other extended-range electric cars. The leaders of the company are sure that from 16 to 19 miles (25 – 30 km) is good enough. Perhaps in next 20 years they will cover 62 miles (about 100 km). As for today, they will not do that as no one can afford such batteries and carry them around.
That makes Bentley Continental CT V8 a slow city traffic model. The hybrid is not about to make a switch to electric power, but to satisfy small emissions standards.