With plans to manufacture its first electric vehicle by 2025, luxury English carmaker Bentley will invest $3.4 billion over the next 10 years with the intent to become completely electric by 2030.

The new models will be manufactured at a refurbished version of the company's plant in Crewe, Cheshire, as it aims to reach carbon neutrality. CEO Adrian Hallmark said that the company plans “for a long-term sustainable future in Crewe," the BBC reports.

"Our aim is to become the benchmark not just for luxury cars or sustainable credentials but the entire scope of our operations," Hallmark said. "Securing production of our first BEV [battery-powered electric vehicle] in Crewe is a milestone moment for Bentley and the U.K.”

Bentley’s decision comes amidst a plethora of other automakers’ aspirations of delivering electric vehicles to consumers. As noted by Forbes, Honda will exclusively sell EVs and hybrids in Europe following 2022, while Chairman of the Management Board of BMW Oliver Zipse said last year that “by the end of 2025, we will have delivered a total of around 2 million fully electric vehicles to customers.”

"I can imagine if you're working in the car industry, there's a lot of uncertainty, a lot of change, and today's news means the workers at Bentley know that their future is secure," Bentley board member Peter Bosch said, as reported by the BBC. “The journey really does start now."

Volkswagen is pumping 35 billion euros ($40 billion) into the shift to electric vehicles and aims to become the world's largest electric carmaker by 2025
Volkswagen is pumping 35 billion euros ($40 billion) into the shift to electric vehicles and aims to become the world's largest electric carmaker by 2025 AFP / JENS SCHLUETER
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