Bentley is accelerating toward an all-electric future with its Beyond100+ strategy, even as the global EV market fractures under regulatory tensions, stalled infrastructure, and shifting manufacturer priorities.
Bentley is moving full speed ahead on its electric transformation, but it’s doing so as the road beneath the global EV market begins to crack. From Ford scrapping a major software initiative to Chinese automakers pivoting back to hybrids, and U.S. lawmakers advancing conflicting legislation on zero-emission mandates and electric vehicle credits, the once-straightforward path to electrification has become increasingly convoluted. Still, the British marque remains committed to its Beyond100+ strategy — a sweeping vision to electrify its entire lineup by 2035 and redefine sustainable luxury in the process.
The company’s third annual Sustainability Report, released last month, lays out its progress and expands on a future centered around battery-electric innovation, digital craftsmanship, and systemic emissions reduction. At a time when competitors are hedging or retreating, Bentley is doubling down.
“We are proud to launch our third Sustainability Report on Earth Day, reinforcing our ambition to transition to net zero,” Frank-Steffen Walliser, Bentley Motors’ Chairman and CEO, said in a statement accompanying the report. “While we acknowledge the challenges ahead, our dedication to responsible luxury remains steadfast.”
All current Bentley models are now available as plug-in hybrids — a key benchmark in the company’s transition to full electrification. The brand’s first fully electric vehicle, a luxury urban SUV, is set to arrive in 2026, with a new EV or hybrid scheduled for release every year thereafter. The W12 engine, once synonymous with Bentley performance, ends production in 2024 — symbolically and literally closing the chapter on the internal combustion era.
At Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, that transformation is already underway. The historic site has operated on 100 percent renewable electricity since 2017 and maintained its carbon-neutral certification for five consecutive years. Now, with new investments in smart manufacturing infrastructure, the company is pushing even further. Its Engineering Technical Centre has adopted virtual testing environments and integrated 3D printing to accelerate development and reduce physical waste. In its Excellence Centre for Quality and Launch, artificial intelligence supports precision inspections to improve vehicle quality, while its relocated Technical Conformity Centre consolidates emissions testing on-site to slash logistics-related emissions.
But the wider EV ecosystem is showing signs of strain — underscoring how bold these ambitions may prove to be.
Last week, Ford confirmed it had shut down development of its next-generation vehicle operating system known internally as FNV4. The platform was meant to overhaul Ford’s digital architecture, unify vehicle control systems, and cut costs, with the long-term goal of powering both gas and electric models. The project was scrapped after ballooning costs and repeated delays. While Ford executives say lessons from FNV4 will be folded into future efforts, it marks a major retreat from a platform once considered pivotal.
The implications go beyond usability. A lack of centralized software has contributed to Ford’s string of recalls in recent years, while rivals like Tesla continue to add features via seamless over-the-air updates. The contrast illustrates how legacy automakers are struggling not only with EV design, but with rethinking the very backbone of vehicle technology.
Tesla, too, faces new hurdles — this time legislative. In Washington state, lawmakers passed House Bill 2077, introducing a new tax on the EV credits automakers earn for selling zero-emission vehicles. The bill imposes a two percent tax on credits sold to other automakers and a ten percent tax on those banked for future use. It includes a carve-out for companies selling fewer than 25,000 credits per year — essentially exempting all but Tesla.
Critics, including Tesla representatives and conservative policy groups, say the measure undercuts the very incentive structure it was designed to support. The law could generate nearly $78 million in revenue by 2027, with 70 percent going to Washington’s general fund and the remainder to EV infrastructure and climate initiatives. Beginning in July 2027, all proceeds will fund climate-related programs.
Jeff Gombosky, testifying on behalf of Tesla, argued that the bill “runs counter to the intent of the surplus [zero-emissions vehicle] credits design of the program.”
Federal lawmakers are not offering much clarity either. On May 1, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to block California’s ambitious mandate to phase out gasoline-only vehicles by 2035. The vote aims to revoke the Environmental Protection Agency waiver that enabled California and 11 other states to require increasing EV sales quotas. Under current rules, California’s targets include 35 percent of new vehicles being zero-emission by 2026 and 68 percent by 2030.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents automakers including General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen, backed the vote, calling it a necessary intervention to prevent “inevitable jobs and manufacturing fallout” from what it deemed unachievable regulations. Governor Gavin Newsom fired back. “Big polluters and the right-wing propaganda machine have succeeded in buying off the Republican Party,” he said, defending the program’s role in pollution reduction and global competitiveness.
In Europe, a different kind of disruption is underway — one driven by tariffs. Since the European Union imposed countervailing duties of up to 35.3 percent on Chinese battery electric vehicle imports, companies like BYD and Chery have recalibrated. Once laser-focused on BEVs, Chinese brands are now prioritizing plug-in hybrids to skirt the tariffs.
In Germany, BYD’s Atto 3 BEV retails at €37,990, incurring approximately €10,257 in duties under the new structure. By contrast, its Seal U PHEV sells for €39,990 but is subject to just €3,999 in tariffs. That delta is now reshaping strategy: in March 2025, 41 percent of BYD’s EVs sold in the EU were hybrids, while Chery reported that 71 percent of its March EV sales were plug-in hybrids.
These market pivots reveal the extent to which policy and pricing — not just innovation — are determining the future of electric mobility.
Back in Crewe, Bentley’s strategy hinges on avoiding the whiplash. With deep integration across product, manufacturing, and philanthropy, the brand is attempting to decouple its sustainability goals from short-term market volatility. The question, of course, is whether it can maintain that course while the rest of the industry re-negotiates the roadmap. “With innovation, investment and the passion of our people, we continue to redefine what it means to be a sustainable luxury brand,” Walliser said.
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