British luxury brand is trying to change drivers’ license laws in Europe because its cars are getting so heavy
Bentley has admitted to lobbying the European Commission in an “active discussion” to raise the allowable weight limit for standard driver’s license holders.
In the (substantial) wake of the 2514kg Bentayga Extended Wheelbase (EWB), which was revealed overnight and will hit local showrooms in the last quarter of 2022, Bentley models are climbing perilously close to the maximum allowed under a European Union driver’s license.
The stretched Bentley Bentayga EWB has a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 3250kg and the standard EU driver’s license allows people to drive vehicles with a GVM of up to 3500kg. Drivers in most Australian states can operate vehicles with a GVM of up to 4500kg without needing a truck license.
Bentley is already the Volkswagen Group’s heaviest automotive brand, with its four-model range averaging 2308kg. That will rise with the Bentayga EWB and will rise again when its new range of electric vehicles arrives from 2025.
The all-electric BMW i7 limousine is around 500kg heavier than the entry-level six-cylinder 7 Series, and Bentley is concerned that a concentration of EV and luxury weight will require its owners to upgrade to truck licenses.
While BMW insists cars are as heavy today as they will ever be, and that they should begin to shrink back to reasonable numbers soon, Bentley clearly disagrees.
At a sneak preview for the Bentley Bentayga EWB earlier this year, its Product Line Director Chris Cole admitted the Volkswagen Group was already using part of its lobbying machine in Brussels to negotiate higher weight limits for European driver’s licenses.
“The rules on licenses… There must be a critical change with licensing,” Cole told carsales.
“At the moment, with current technology, the gross vehicle weight will be hitting the [license] ceiling of all of Europe.
“That’s an active conversation with the certification authorities as the situation changes.”
While this could be seen as altering the rules instead of engineering lighter cars, Cole suggested that was a misinterpretation of the spirit of the regulations for licensing.
“The law was incentivising companies to go as light as possible for fuel economy, but is it as relevant when the vehicles are electric?”
But Bentley is on its own in wanting licensing weight limits changed.
Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have insisted that, while EV versions of luxury cars are heavier today than standard combustion-powered models, new technologies will pull their weights down again in the near future.
“For us, the weight limits for licenses are still sufficient for the i7,” said the project manager of the new BMW 7 Series, Christoph Fagschlunger.
“For us, as a company who offers passenger vehicles, it is still possible to cover all the requirements within the existing weight restrictions.
“Let’s see what the future brings, because energy will be reduced to a lower volume and more energy in the same weight or less weight. That’s the way battery development goes.
“Size of cars will have a natural ending someday, when you can’t fit in the garage or turn around on the street corner. That day is getting closer.
“More comfort now will not gain more weight. Technologies to get comfort are getting smarter. You can kill road noise with masses all around the car, or you can have active road noise cancellation.”
Mercedes-Benz researchers agree, citing steps in battery technology as one key to weight reduction.
“In order to achieve higher ranges, it would be the easiest way to put a bigger battery into the car. However, this leads to diminishing returns due to size and weight,” a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz said.
“The Vision EQXX [concept car] has a battery capacity of just under 100kWh but, more importantly, an energy density of close to 400Wh/litre. This compares with around 280Wh/L with the EQS.
“Such a high energy density made it possible to fit the energy of a far larger EV into the compact dimensions of the Vision EQXX.”
The Vision EQXX used an astounding 8.7kWh/100km on a recent 1000km-plus round trip in Europe, with Mercedes-Benz claiming a mean efficiency of 95 per cent, meaning all but five percent of the battery pack’s energy ended up at the wheels.
“There’s more to come. Solid-state batteries enable a significantly optimised safety of the battery as well as the use of new types of anodes, such as lithium-metal anodes,” Mercedes-Benz insisted.
“These offer an almost doubled energy density compared to today’s Li-ion battery cells. As a result, they promise an increase in range while at the same time ensuring short charging times while saving space and thus, weight.
“It is our goal to keep vehicle weight on its current level or even reduce it – despite growing requirements. Reducing weight is one important measure on the way to maximum efficiency.
“Hence, with each new product project, weight targets are set and thoroughly monitored and controlled throughout the entire process.”
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Keyword: Bentleys becoming too heavy for regular drivers