Bentley Torcal development covers over 1 000 000 km of testing

Weeks after revealing the Torcal, its first electric vehicle, Bentley has begun to share how the car was engineered and validated. Prototype and pre-series cars have together covered over 1 000 000 kilometres, in temperatures from -38°C in Sweden to over 40°C in desert heat and at altitudes from sea level to more than 14 000 ft at Pikes Peak in Colorado.

Extended Reality and physical build checks

Extended Reality (XR) was used more extensively than on any previous Bentley. In the company’s XR Hub, the Concept Validation team built a fully digital version of the car, with adjustable seating positions, interactive controls and a realistic cabin. Engineers could evaluate how occupants interact with the car before physical parts existed, which reduced development time.

Physical Design Confirmation followed, checking fit, clearance, serviceability and build quality. More than ninety per cent of parts were available at this stage. Laser scanning compared components directly against CAD data, while sequenced slow-build exercises simulated production conditions to validate assembly.

Torcal electrical and software development

Three specialist teams handled electrical architecture, software integration and validation testing. Every six weeks a new software integration level is produced, adding refinements and new functions. Each release is validated in laboratories and in real-world vehicles before the next phase begins.

Battery safety testing for the Torcal

The battery delivers an energy density of more than 180 Wh/kg and weighs approximately 625 kg. A composite impact shield mounted beneath it protects the cells and associated components from blows to the underside, and multiple layers of protection and monitoring are built into the design.

Testing requires the pack to remain free from fire propagation or explosion for at least two hours during a thermal incident. In underside impact tests, a 30 mm steel projectile weighing approximately 111 grams is fired at the enclosure at more than 100 mph. Salt-spray corrosion exposure and other environmental and durability evaluations are also part of the programme.

Camouflage comes off the test fleet

During testing, the cars wore graphic wraps, temporary body panels and physical camouflage that changed as development progressed. With customer deliveries approaching, that disguise is now being removed from the development fleet.

Supplied by Newspress UK (Bentley)

This story is based on aggregated news, press release(s) or other sources and was prepared with the help of AI tools, which can make mistakes. Prices, specifications, general information and availability may change, so confirm the details with the manufacturer, other news sources or a dealer.