Rivian Automotive, the EV startup backed by Amazon and Ford Motor, is in talks with the UK authorities on constructing its first manufacturing plant exterior the U.S. close to the English metropolis of Bristol, Sky Information reported.

The funding would most likely embrace a big state-support bundle, however the UK faces competitors from Germany and the Netherlands for the location, Sky cited trade sources as saying.

Rivian, seen as a possible rival to Tesla, stated this month it expects to start first deliveries of its R1T pickup in September and its R1S SUV within the autumn.

Talks with the British authorities are at an early stage, and an funding may very well be price greater than 1 billion kilos ($1.4 billion), Sky stated.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has taken a eager curiosity within the progress of the talks, though they don’t seem to be but at a sophisticated stage, Sky reported. Attracting environmentally pleasant funding within the UK is a key a part of Johnson’s plan for post-Brexit Britain and his local weather agenda.

A campus known as Gravity, close to Bristol, southwest England, has been recognized by Rivian as a doable location for the brand new plant, Sky stated.

The UK’s Division for Enterprise, Power and Industrial Technique (BEIS) declined to touch upon “particular person investments.” It stated in an announcement: “Whereas we’re working to draw inward funding into the UK to speed up the expansion of recent industries, we can’t touch upon hypothesis about particular person investments.”

Rivian is additionally exploring places for a second plant within the U.S.

Reuters contributed to this report