Sustainability Newsletter – March 2025

In a week where international relations reached boiling point, the European Commission proposed more flexibility for its emissions targets, and data showed spring temperatures the UK have risen faster than any other season, sustainability remains a hot topic.
Speaking on Auto Trader’s Women in the Driving Seat podcast, journalist and broadcaster Lucy Siegle highlights, “It’s not a political choice, sustainability, it’s a necessity to keep us alive on the planet.” In the episode Auto Trader’s Editorial Director, Erin Baker invites Lucy to share her outsider’s view of the automotive industry, while Yelena Estepa, a Mechanical Engineering Graduate, describes her experience at the forefront of Bentley’s environmentally conscious innovation at this pivotal time.

The take-up of electric cars may have increased over the last few years, but the conversation demonstrates sustainability is multifaceted and more complex than it seems at first glance. As such, supply chains, logistics and manufacturing processes all have their part to play in decarbonising the automotive industry. Informed consumers will want to know about the entire end-to-end lifecycle of their next car, this includes where the car is made. Knowing the Cupra Tavascan is manufactured in China while the closely related the Volkswagen ID.5 is manufactured in Germany is likely to factor into the buying decision. Then, carbon footprint aside, if the UK were to follow the EU’s decision to add tariffs on Chinese-made imports, things would get more complicated still, with affordability of EVs being impacted.

This brings us back to Bentley, which has committed to going fully electric by 2035 and its plans to start producing battery-powered vehicles in 2027. To support this, it has started work on a new Integrated Logistics Centre at its headquarters in Crewe. This will allow it to reduce the reliance on external warehousing and minimise the carbon footprint of future electric vehicles, while also improving efficiency with automation technology. This is just one of the ways Bentley is taking a holistic approach to sustainability – an approach earning it the Sustainability Initiative Award at Auto Trader’s New Car Awards 2024. Other examples include considering the emissions associated with testing new vehicles, introducing beehives at its plant to increase biodiversity, using bamboo food packaging in its cafeteria, and powering the plant using renewable energy generated by enough solar panels to fill nine football pitches. As a result, vehicle production accounts for only one per cent of Bentley’s carbon emissions. Hiring emerging talent like Yelena on graduate schemes is another way Bentley is preparing for the future. “Engineers have the potential to make a huge difference for better or for worse,” she says. “It’s always something I keep in the back of my mind.”

While only the lucky few will be driving all-electric Bentleys, those owning more mainstream EVs will still be looking to prolong the lifespan of their cars. Most electric car batteries are covered by an eight to 10-year manufacturer warranty, but many buyers still worry about battery health. With this in mind, it’s great to see EV Battery Solutions – a business brought to the UK by Cox Automotive – teaming up with logistics provider DHL to provide a specialist triage, repair and remanufacturing service. Hopefully this will mean damaged or faulty batteries can be repaired quicker, giving both consumers and insurance providers reassurance and ultimately lowering premiums for EV drivers.
Another stumbling block to EV adoption has often been the concern from consumers about investing in technology which might quickly become defunct. There has long been talk of solid-state batteries revolutionising the electric car thanks to the shorter charging times. While significant progress has been made mass-production still seems a way off yet, though. BYD has some of the most advanced battery technology on the market and could start small-scale production of solid-state batteries by 2027, but even the Chinese giant says they are a long way off from being available in large volumes, citing cost as one of the key barriers. We’ve previously heard other manufacturers such as Nissan targeting solid-state batteries by the end of the decade, but for now it seems lithium-ion batteries will be around for a while, so it’s a good job the EV Battery Solutions and DHL collaboration will be in place to support with maintenance.

• Sustainability newsletter – February 2025 | Transatlantic divide on sustainability grows, UK charging and battery manufacturing gets a boost and Audi in a muddle
• Sustainability newsletter – January 2025 | 2025 looks set to be the year of the affordable EV • Sustainability newsletter – December 2024 | Cornish Lithium’s UK sourced raw materials for electric car batteries and its wider role in carbon reduction • Sustainability newsletter – November 2024 | The Autumn Budget, sales of electric vehicles, sustainable materials and planning for the future • Sustainability newsletter – October 2024 | Industry asks government to make EVs more affordable in name of Net Zero and how sustainability works as a selling point • Sustainability newsletter – September 2024 | Road charging for electric cars, UK’s car manufacturers clean up their act and VW explores hemp-based bio interiors • Sustainability newsletter – August 2024 | Is stimulating electric car sales ‘green’ and how improved charging infrastructure is helping with the great summer getaway • Sustainability newsletter – July 2024 | Hidden carbon cost of tech, Volvo pushes for more recycled plastics and Renault secures greener supply chain for EV batteries • Sustainability newsletter – June 2024 | Farewell chrome plating, bravo for Renault’s recycled interiors and a cheer for the … circular economy for recycled tyres • Sustainability newsletter – May 2024 | Lithium is key in the production of electric car batteries, but where does it all come from and at what cost? • Sustainability newsletter – March 2024 | The importance of renewable energy in making sure electric cars really are the green choice, and one Dutch couple’s mission to prove it! • Sustainability newsletter – January 2024 | French act on heavy SUVs and embedded CO2 of imported electric cars, BYD plans European factory and Nio opens battery swapping centres • Sustainability newsletter – December 2024 | Vauxhall electrifies Britain’s streets, a second life for electric car batteries and recycled Alcantara seat fabric combines luxury and sustainability • Sustainability newsletter – November 2023 | Costs for EV batteries fall, funding for UK-sourced lithium project, GM goes renewable and Lynk & Co commits to life cycle CO2 audits • Sustainability newsletter – October 2023 | Costs for EV batteries fall, funding for UK-sourced lithium project, GM goes renewable and Lynk & Co commits to life cycle CO2 audits • Sustainability newsletter – September 2023 | Erin Baker shares her thoughts on the UK's changing net zero targets and delaying the 2030 ban for new petrol and diesel cars. • Sustainability newsletter – August 2023 | Zapmap reports increased charger installations, Lime's e-mobility revolution and Nissan's autonomous driving • Sustainability newsletter – July 2023 | Public charging network expands, hydrogen back on the agenda and choosing green tyres • Sustainability newsletter – June 2023 | BMW helps electrify the UK’s national parks and Kia ditches leather across its range of cars • Sustainability newsletter – May 2023 | What upholstery will you be choosing for your next car - leather or pleather? • Sustainability newsletter – April 2023 | Polestar’s ‘moonshot’ for a zero emissions car and a look into synthetic fuels as a possible lifeline for internal combustion classics • Sustainability newsletter – February 2023 | Our regular sustainability round-up continues with a look at some new recycled materials this month, all of which could be in your car soon • Sustainability newsletter – January 2023 | Eco awareness is driving more and more car buying decisions for a variety of reasons -here we celebrate those doing it right!