RE: Lunaz completes world's first electric Bentley

[mat205125]

Stunning and wonderful concept. Ideal vehicle for this drive train

[sidesauce]

rampageturke said:

braddo said:

Augustus Windsock said:

Stuff Theta Gruntburger,

Come on, grow up.

funny watchin all these midlife crisis goers get mad at a 14 year old who hasn't really done anything new at all.

She's actually 18 now.

As for the car, I think it makes complete sense and will suit the new owner very well. Well done all involved.

[simonrockman]

This is the perfect application for an electric transplant.

[mat205125]

Augustus Windsock said:

Just love the fact that apparently I’m a mid-life crisis person who gets by on calling teenage girls names.
And that my comment has elicited nearly as many comments as those about the car itself.
Personally I couldn’t care less about Thunberg one way or another, we are being corralled down the route of Eva
Even Herr Jung from BMW suggested that ev cars aren’t the future:
“ The basic idea is that you take an EV with a large battery pack, and you replace the pack with a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, and a smaller battery.”
Quicker to refuel, more sustainable and easier/cheaper to produce the raw materials.
For a car that won’t be driven 12k a year, it just doesn’t make sense to convert something like this, the vast majority will be used just a few times a year with very limited mileage.
Oh well, I’d better get back to impersonating Clarkson I guess....

Of course mr BMW will say that. Their hybrid and ev cars are crap, and the path that they and their competitors are on are different. His views expressed are the ones that fit his agenda, which might not be best for the industry or consumers in the long term

[Maldini35]

I really hope synthetic fuels become a real thing and stop all this.

[ntiz]

I'm not really a massive fan of this but then my Dad has a pre war Bentley so i'm the opposite end of the spectrum.

I have one question though, 120 kWh batteries are massive and heavy does it all fit under the bonnet? Do they strengthen the chassis as it was never designed to have that kind of weight?

[Maldini35]

mat205125 said:

Of course mr BMW will say that. Their hybrid and ev cars are crap, and the path that they and their competitors are on are different. His views expressed are the ones that fit his agenda, which might not be best for the industry or consumers in the long term

I think that's a bit harsh. BMW were at the vanguard of EV's with i3. Perhaps they know stuff you don't?

Anyway, who is to say if EV cars in their current guise are best for consumers?

There's a lot of crossed fingers that someone will invent something to make all the problems go away (charging infrastructure, environmental damage mining the minerals for the batteries, not enough batteries, limited range etc. etc.)
Current EV's work for some but not all. Not by a long stretch.
What if all those crossed fingers don't work?

I'm not saying things don't need to change but perhaps it's smarter to keep an open mind regarding the potential solutions?

Unless of course you have your own agenda? Shares in Tesla?

Edited by Maldini35 on Tuesday 2nd March 12:20

[SgHawk]

ntiz said:

I have one question though, 120 kWh batteries are massive and heavy does it all fit under the bonnet? Do they strengthen the chassis as it was never designed to have that kind of weight?

Usually with this sort of conversion the batteries are spread out into other areas of the car too, rather than just one big lump under the bonnet. The space left by the fuel tank and transmission is usually used to keep battery weight low and central.

[Leftfootwonder]

sidesauce said:

rampageturke said:

braddo said:

Augustus Windsock said:

Stuff Theta Gruntburger,

Come on, grow up.

funny watchin all these midlife crisis goers get mad at a 14 year old who hasn't really done anything new at all.

She's actually 18 now.

Exactly. Find me one teenage girl who doesn't think she is righteous, it's just a phase. Once she meets a boyfriend who has a motorbike or decent car, she'll feel pretty silly for all this fuss she's caused.

[DonkeyApple]

bigothunter said:

Numeric said:

BlueComet said:

Ruined.

Genuine question - why? My uncle had a Barker Cloud and I never remember the engine being in any way noteworthy while the interior and shape - they were wonderful.

Electric powertrain is ideally suited to modern Bentleys and Rolls Royces. But why corrupt an absolute classic especially when the benefits are questionable? Even from an environmental perspective, this modification makes no sense at all.

More power, less noise. Best to look at it as an engine conversion rather than letting the ecowaffle and politics get in the way as they aren't relevant here. The purpose of the original engine in a car such as this was to deliver as much power and refinement as possible. X number of decades on and now an EV solution is available that delivers a huge improvement on those key criteria. While some conversions don't seem logical and others seem more akin to vandalism, this is arguably one of the ones that makes total sense and builds hugely on the original product intent. Plus, it should mean that a pretty car will be out and about much more.

[MarvinTPA]

I think this conversion means that rather than only doing a few miles each year, it'll actually be used as someones daily. That has to be better, electric or not.

[DonkeyApple]

idealstandard said:

braddo said:

Come on, grow up.

Yeah its cringe worthy, the middle aged middle class "i want to burn coal but i don't know why" crew

It's manifestly nothing remotely middle class. It's the precise opposite. Name calling of children whether this particular girl or the brandishing of the 'snowflake' term among others is merely highlighting the terminal dislocation between underclass in terms of education, mindset etc and wealth, which has long since ceased defining the English class structure.

It's a vulgarity and repulsiveness that stands wholly apart from any of the traditional definitions of class. It is not working, middle or upper, it is wholly segregated.

[CDP]

Maldini35 said:

I really hope synthetic fuels become a real thing and stop all this.

Synthetic fuels allow cars to be carbon free but need a vast amount of energy to produce - they make far more sense for aviation.

From the local pollutants approach they do nothing for NOx or particulates compared with decent quality petrol, especially when poured into the tank of a 1950's Bentley. For this reason it may still mean heavy restrictions when it comes to in town use although I suspect the high price might mean this is unnecessary.

Some cars suit electrification. The big Citroens are probably the most obvious candidates; I can't imagine too many people missing their OHV big banger fours...

[Killboy]

Augustus Windsock said:

Personally I couldn’t care less about Thunberg one way or another

Yes, that is apparent from your first post. We must have you misunderstood.

[DonkeyApple]

Maldini35 said:

I really hope synthetic fuels become a real thing and stop all this.

They aren't and won't be for cars. What will change is how the energy is stored for electric motors but even that doesn't make a case for 'efuels' in private transport.

[jjwilde]

nicfaz said:

My only questions would be:

1) How bad is the range with the 120KWh battery; and
2) Crash worthiness?

1) That's a massive battery, should be good for 300-400 miles in the real world.

2) Cars from that era have no crash worthiness, but the battery container may add some extra strength, won't stop the steering wheel smashing your head off in a crash tho.

[Cob1]

Who is going to buy these conversions?

The market for retro mod cars is small - and that space is getting crowded. Add in the removal of the oily bits that buyers of old cars get excited by and that market must be minuscule.

How many people want to wear a vintage rolex that has been converted to have a G-Shock watch inside it?

It answers a question that no-one asked.

[dukebox9reg]

jjwilde said:

nicfaz said:

My only questions would be:

1) How bad is the range with the 120KWh battery; and
2) Crash worthiness?

1) That's a massive battery, should be good for 300-400 miles in the real world.

2) Cars from that era have no crash worthiness, but the battery container may add some extra strength, won't stop the steering wheel smashing your head off in a crash tho.

From Autocar......
The 6.2-litre V8 has been removed to make way for an electric powertrain of undisclosed capacity and output, though likely to be derived from the 375bhp, 516lb ft system that propels the firm's similarly conceived take on the Rolls-Royce Phantom V and Silver Cloud.

That system is powered by an 80kWh battery pack that offers a range of more than 250 miles, and gets the similarly sized Rolls-Royce models from 0-60mph in less than five seconds.

[Wheel_Turned_Out]

I can't find anything to get up in arms about, mechanically these weren't exactly cutting edge even when they were new. If you're in the market for the Bentley (or RR) experience, namely torque, comfort, and silence, then surely an electric motor is the very best way to go - I imagine that's a stunningly serene thing to waft about in. It's not like that beautiful shape has been ruined.

Crazy niche market though, but for the select few willing to absorb all that cost there's no reason not to.

[Dimwit3]

DonkeyApple said:

Maldini35 said:

I really hope synthetic fuels become a real thing and stop all this.

They aren't and won't be for cars. What will change is how the energy is stored for electric motors but even that doesn't make a case for 'efuels' in private transport.

Others beg to differ from your stance DA, but I guess you know more than, for example, Siemens and Bosch.

https://www.bosch.com/stories/synthetic-fuels/


https://www.siemens-energy.com/global/en/offerings...