Aston Martin has released details of its new ‘Racing Green’ electrification strategy, a plan that outlines the luxury British brand’s first core carbon-neutral target as well as the launch of its first purely battery-electric vehicle in 2025.
Launched on Earth Day, Racing Green outlines Aston’s goals of net-zero emissions from its manufacturing facilities by 2030. A 30 per cent reduction of its supply chain emissions, based on 2020 figures, is also planned in the short-term, with the British marque looking to go carbon-neutral across its supply chain by 2039.
Said goals have been set as part of Aston’s new membership with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a global initiative launched in 2015 that sets emissions reduction targets for more than 1000 companies worldwide based on its own research into climate change.
Leading Aston’s road to electrification are the brand’s first plug-in hybrid – the mid-engined Valhalla supercar, deliveries for which will start in 2024 – and, intriguingly, Aston’s first battery-electric vehicle, due to be launched in 2025. No further details have been provided as to the model’s identity, though talk has turned to the limited edition all-electric Rapide E sedan, 155 examples of which were set to be made for 2020 before plans were shelved. An electric successor to the flagship DB11, launched in 20216 for a 2017 release, is also being speculated, despite Aston’s commitment to its hallmark V12 until at least 2026.
Aston Martin Rapide E
Aston also states that, by 2026, all of the brand’s new product lines will be offered with electrified powertrain options ahead of its “entire core portfolio” of GTs, sports cars and SUVs being transitioned to full-electric by 2030. This slight ambiguity suggests one-off or special edition models launched prior to 2030 may still be available with internal combustion.
“Aston Martin is accelerating,” company CEO Tobias Moers explains. “We are transforming our business and believe that now is the time to challenge ourselves to make a bigger difference, to become a world-leading sustainable ultra-luxury business.
“Whilst embracing electrification, we believe our sustainability ambitions must be broader than just producing emissions-free vehicles, and want to drive sustainability principles across our entire business, with a team representative of society proudly producing responsible products with a reduced environmental impact and making a positive contribution to the communities where we operate.”
These Racing Green new goals continue Aston’s on-going sustainability initiatives, which thus far have included a 44 per cent cut of it emissions intensity in the UK between 2020 and 2021. 100 per cent of the waste from its manufacturing facilities has been relocated from landfills, with plans to eliminate plastic packaging altogether within the next three years. More than 14,000 solar panels are also set to be installed at Aston’s St Athan site in Wales, the combination of which could produce 20 per cent of the plant’s annual energy.
The use of “green aluminium” – made using 100 per cent recycled materials – leather-free vegan upholstery, and other sustainable materials were also outlined as part of Aston’s drive to cut its environmental impact.
