The Bentley Bentayga EWB has set an unofficial record up the Goodwood Festival of Speed’s famous hill climb by towing 2.5 tonnes of straw up the course in just 1 minute and 21 seconds.
Bentley made the impressive run thanks to Ifor Williams Trailers, the UK’s largest manufacturer of trailers under 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) but it’s not really the run itself that is most impressive. Instead, it is the fact that the Bentayga EWB was powered by renewable fuel made from agricultural waste straw.
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Each and every modern Bentley participating in this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will be using this renewable fuel that promises to reduce carbon emissions by 85% on a well-to-wheels basis. The 2.5 tonnes of straw shifted by the Bentayga EWB on its unique run up the Hillclimb is enough to create 1,100 miles worth of fuel that all modern Bentleys can run without modification. This form of biofuel also conforms to the global EN228 standard for gasoline.
This innovative second-generation biofuel uses waste biomass that is broken down using fermentation. This leads to the creation of ethanol that is then dehydrated to create ethylene that can be transformed into gasoline through a process called oligomerization. Through this process, short hydrocarbon molecules are chained together to produce longer, more energy-dense ones.
Driving the Bentayga EWB is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that is good for 542 hp and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque. This allows it to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.5 seconds. In addition to featuring a complex all-wheel drive system, the Bentayga EWB also has electronic all-wheel steering that steers the rear wheels in tandem with the front wheels at highway speeds to improve stability and in the opposite direction at low speeds to effectively shorten the wheelbase and improve the turning circle.
