Marking A Major Step In Its Electrified Future, Bentley’s State-Of-The-Art Engineering Test Centre

Bentley Motors’ state-of-the-art Engineering Test Centre has commenced operations after receiving official approval from Britain’s Vehicle Certification Agency.

Based at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, this latest investment follows the recent recertification by the Carbon Trust, marking three years as a carbon-neutral site.  

“This announcement is another key landmark in Bentley’s ongoing modernisation programme. It will give us the independence to test our own engines and further enhance our industry-leading manufacturing plant in Crewe as we move towards offering electric or hybrid versions of all our models by 2024,” expressed Bentley's board member for engineering Dr Matthias Rabe.

Notably, this move is a major stepping stone for the company in meeting the standards set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

Said achievement allows Bentley to carry out in-house emissions, fuel economy and electric range testing to the highest global standards, all from the Test Centre itself. 

It is also a further endorsement of the stringent test regime now in place at the company’s manufacturing headquarters, where all Bentley cars are hand-built.

Dr Rabe added, “The centre also allows Bentley to meet increased demand from customers for our luxury, hand-built vehicles, including the performance-orientated Flying Spur, the Continental GT and new Bentayga.”

Besides that, the independent authority certification represents another significant step forward in the company’s drive towards electrification.

At which, it is a key pillar in Bentley’s Beyond100 strategy to become the world’s most sustainable luxury automotive manufacturer. 

Crucially, the GBP 12.5 million (RM 71,122,109) centre enables Bentley to carry out the latest WLTP fuel consumption and efficiency test procedures more swiftly in-house.

The new structure includes 773 square metres of office space and 1,550 square metres created for the installation of a climate-controlled chassis dynamometer.

This advanced rolling road can simulate different gradients of hills, measure exhaust emissions from combustion engine cars, or electrical energy consumption from hybrid and future electric models. 

Plus, the ‘real world’ simulations can also be completed across a range of temperatures, from -20-degrees to +50-degrees.

That’s not all, Bentley’s Technical Conformity department, responsible for the compliance of all Bentley products, is also based at the new centre. 

Along with a dedicated laboratory to run Real Driving Emissions (RDE) using the latest, state-of-the-art portable emissions measurement systems. 

Overall, testing at the two-storey, 4,600 square metres facility has begun to build up operations to meet all global emission standards by the middle of 2022.