Bentley is the latest brand to announce it’s moving on from the internal combustion engine.
The famed British luxury brand announced overnight it would become an electric-only, carbon-neutral car maker by 2030.
Bentley is known for powering its cars with massive turbocharged eight and 12 cylinder engines – most mainstream vehicles use four-cylinders.
The move follows other ultra high-end brands such as Rolls-Royce that are also planning on ditching petrol by 2030.
Bentley says its first battery-electric vehicle is currently under development and is due to arrive late in 2025.
Bentley boss, Adrian Hallmark, says the final design of the new electric vehicle is only weeks or months away, according to UK publication Autocar.
The luxury marque has committed to building five electric cars by the end of the decade.
Bentley is owned by the giant Volkswagen Group and Hallmark says the vehicle will use the VW Group’s electric platforms for its vehicles.
The move to all electric vehicles by Bentley is no surprise as many jurisdictions around the globe prepare to ban the sale of petrol and diesel powered cars.
In 2021, the European Commission revealed it wants to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035.
Last year US President Joe Biden signed an executive order that requires 50 per cent of all new cars sold by 2030 to be electric.
The move reportedly has the backing of the US’s biggest automakers such as Ford and General Motors.
President Biden announced on Twitter at the time: “The future of the auto industry is electric – and made in America.”
- News.com.au