Biofuels for Bentley – Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid crosses Iceland using biofuel made of waste straw

This hot news is in car e-zines – CarScoops, Automotive World, The Auto Channel – but here at The Digest, an inside look at Bentley’s Flying Spur Hybrid car that drove across Iceland, 733 km (455 miles), in one stint using second generation biofuel made from waste biomass, in this case waste straw based biofuel developed by Coryton, and geothermally-sourced electricity available from the Icelandic power grid. What?! Biofuels AND electricity in one car, together?

In today’s Digest, how this shows biofuels and electricity CAN get along, the Coryton and biofuel details, Bentley’s biofuel trek across Iceland, why Bentley is so gung-ho on biofuels and sustainability, what this means, and more.

Driving across Iceland

First, what’s the big deal about driving across Iceland on one stint on renewable energy?

Well, to start, it’s a 733 km (455 mile) journey. But it’s also a demonstration of environmental credentials of a second-generation biofuel in Bentley’s latest grand tourer and demonstration of ‘Best of both worlds’ represented by the hybrid system – useable electric range combined with genuine grand touring reach.

Oh yeah, and it’s also a 45 per cent reduction in CO2 on Well-to-Wheels basis vs ordinary gasoline.

Often electric cars and biofuel are in competition. The biofuels industry isn’t crazy about EVs because it threatens their livelihood and vice versa. But here in Bentley’s hybrid, electricity and biofuels live in happy harmony.

The Azure Purple Flying Spur Hybrid’s journey is validation both of the grand touring range of Bentley’s new Hybrid – the second to be launched following the Bentayga Hybrid – and of Bentley’s research into biofuels that can be used without engine modification.

Renewable fuel defines a significant step towards reducing Bentley’s environmental impact and supporting the company’s sustainability targets. This Icelandic journey is the result of further development since the debut of renewable fuel for Bentley in the Continental GT3 race car at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June. T

The Flying Spur Hybrid represents Bentley’s next step on a journey to becoming the world’s most sustainable luxury mobility company, as laid out by the brand’s Beyond100 strategy. Market introductions across the world begin in 2022. This will see all models in the range offered with a hybrid powertrain by 2024, ahead of the company’s first full BEV by 2025.

Bentley’s biofuel

Let’s dive into the fuel. The 100% renewable, second generation biofuel used was developed by Coryton, who is supporting Bentley in renewable fuel research.

The production process sees waste biomass (e.g. straw) broken down using fermentation, leading to the creation of ethanol. Dehydration of the ethanol converts it to ethylene, which can then be transformed into gasoline through the process of oligomerisation – chaining short hydrocarbon molecules together to produce longer, more energy-dense ones.

The fuel used conforms to the same EN228 standard as ordinary pump gasoline, yet is created entirely from waste biomass (e.g. straw) at no cost to food production or the natural ecosystem.

If Coryton sounds familiar, that could be from their work developing sustainable fuel with Prodrive in the UK for their race car competing in the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies happening later this year (one of the first major teams to use advanced biofuels in a FIA championship), as reported in The Digest just a few weeks ago.

You may also know Coryton from their work with Nova Pangaea Technologies to successfully develop and trial its first E10 fuel on a motorcycle at its headquarters in Redcar, UK, as reported in The Digest in November 2020.

As a side note, even the electricity used by the car’s hybrid system during the journey was impressive on the sustainability side of things as it was sourced from Iceland’s 100% renewable grid. In case you didn’t know, Iceland is a global leader in renewable energy production with 75% of the country’s electrical energy produced via Hydroelectric and 25% from geothermal power – you got that right, no coal, no nuclear, none of the high emissions, high polluting electricity so common in, ahem, other countries (looking at you U.S. with over 60% of electricity still made from coal and fossil fuels). During its time in Iceland, the Flying Spur Hybrid was charged with electricity from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant.

Reactions from the stakeholders

Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation for Iceland, witnessed the Flying Spur Hybrid’s journey and said, “It was great to see the car make the 733 km journey across the country on renewable electricity and green renewable fuel. Driving through the countryside with waterfalls on your left, and volcanos to the right you can visually see where the energy is generated directly, from nature. I think this is the best definition of sustainable energy. Iceland wants to be part of the environmental solution and help others use the knowledge and renewable sources we have here.”

Bentley’s Member of the Board for Engineering, Matthias Rabe, said, “With the launch of the Flying Spur Hybrid we now have a hybrid range at Bentley, and with this challenge we’ve proved the real benefit of a hybrid – the ability to have an unimpeded grand touring reach of more than 450 miles, while still having usable electric-only range for urban environments. It’s truly the best of both worlds, especially when the use of innovative second generation biofuel means a huge drop in CO2 emissions. We’ll continue working with such fuels in the coming months as part of our development process, with the end goal of a customer-facing solution.”

The driving force behind the flying spur hybrid

For you car enthusiasts, Bentley notes that “the latest addition to Bentley’s new hybrid range demonstrates that hybridization does not compromise luxury or performance. With an unperceivable blend between the internal combustion engine and electric motor, refined serenity is on offer regardless of driving mode or style.”

“The new powertrain combines a 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine with an advanced electric motor, delivering a total of 536 bhp (544 PS) and 750 Nm (553 lb.ft) of torque – an additional 95 bhp in comparison to the Bentayga Hybrid. The new Flying Spur becomes the most efficient Bentley ever having the capability to cover 700 km when fully fuelled.”

“With high power reserves, superior torque and quick throttle response, the latest hybrid model gives little away to the Flying Spur V8 in acceleration, passing 60 mph from a standstill in 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.3 secs). The new powertrain achieves a significant reduction in fuel consumption, whilst still providing the authentic Bentley character of effortless, refined performance.”

“To provide further feedback to the driver, the driver instruments include additional information showing when the car is operating solely in EV drive, regenerating whilst deaccelerating or using the combustion engine. Inside the cabin, the automatic Start-Stop switch has been replaced with a control for the three E Modes – EV Drive, Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode, enabling the driver to manage the battery usage during a journey. EV Drive mode is engaged as soon as the car is switched on, and maximises the electric driving experience. This is ideal for city driving and for shorter journeys.”

“The flow of energy can also be displayed via the infotainment screen where statistics can be seen and the timers for charging of the vehicle can be set. Additional e-motion information is available to the driver via the instrument panel, heads up display and centre screen, including range, battery level and charging information.”

Now if that doesn’t make you want to test drive this car, not sure what will.

So why is Bentley so crazy about sustainability and biofuels?

Let’s go back a bit. In 2018, Bentley’s production facility in Crewe became the first luxury automotive factory in the UK to be certified carbon neutral by the Carbon Trust, certification that has since been renewed twice. This followed two decades of implementing innovative solutions, including a water recycling system in the paint shop, local tree planting, installation of a 10,000 solar panel carport, taking the total number of on-site solar panels to 30,000, and a switch to renewable-only electricity sources. The Crewe facility will continue to improve its environmental operations. All suppliers have passed a sustainability audit, verifying their sustainability credentials.

So they have been ‘doing the sustainability stuff’ for quite a while now, and taking it quite seriously.

But Bentley Motors recently outlined plans to become a global leader in sustainable luxury mobility with further details of its Beyond100 strategy.

“With the promise to offer truly sustainable luxury, Bentley will reinvent every aspect of its business to become an end-to-end carbon neutral organisation as it embarks on its second century. The target is driven by a transformation programme across Bentley’s entire operations and products. This includes switching its model range to offer exclusively plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicles by 2026, and full electric vehicles only by 2030.”

“By the end of 2025, the company intends to reduce its factory environmental impact by focusing on energy consumption, CO2 emissions, waste water, use of solvents in the paint process and becoming plastic neutral. This will result in a ‘climate positive factory’ by 2030, actively reducing levels of carbon in the atmosphere, while in parallel the business invests in renewable energy and forestation projects.”

Bottom Line

Bentley’s combined electricity with biofuels in one car – thereby making the EV vs. biofuels fight, not so much a fight anymore – is like a happy marriage. Whoever said electricity and biofuels can’t get along is now proven wrong. And maybe this will inspire other automotive manufacturers to find more ways to incorporate biofuels into their vehicles. In the meantime, keep an eye out for Coryton and their innovative biofuels, as we wouldn’t be surprised to see their work expanding to even more automotive and motorcycle manufacturers.