Bentley’s Press Fleet to run on Mod-Free Biofuel
Bentley is converting its press car fleet to biofuel in a bid to reduce journalist road test emissions by 85%.
A 1,200-liter (317 US gallons) fuel bowser has been installed within the automaker’s to replace ordinary gasoline in its press cars and the Bentley Heritage Collection. Bentley ran its six strong fleet at Goodwood using the fuel and successfully completed all 32 hill-climbs. The 739bhp, W12-engined Batur fueled with the second generation biofuel completed a 55.0 second run putting it in the top-three production cars of the weekend.
Its newest flagship, the Bentayga EWB, also completed the hill climb in just 1 minute 21 seconds while towing 2.5 metric tons of straw. Enough straw, that when converted to biofuel, would power the Bentayga for 1,100 miles or provide fuel for all of the Bentleys for the weekend at Goodwood.
This biofuel conforms to the global EN228 standard for gasoline, meaning that it’s a straightforward replacement for normal pump fuel. No engine modifications are necessary, even for the oldest surviving Bentley, the 1920 EXP2.
The automaker claims that any Bentley ever built will run as powerfully and smoothly on the second-generation biofuel as it does on normal pump gasoline, while dramatically reducing its carbon footprint. Unlike first-generation biofuels, which are made from food crops grown on arable land, second-generation biofuels use waste products, including agriculture and forestry waste and food industry by-products.
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_ and Threads
