Backers of the West Midlands gigafactory say the next Government must take 鈥渦rgent鈥 action to bring battery investment to the 海角视频 and ensure the country has the skills and capacity it needs to develop the sector.
The site at Coventry Airport, now known as Greenpower Park, has planning consent for a huge 拢2.5 billion electric vehicle battery factory which it is hoped will also attract firms in the supply chain. It sits within the West Midlands Investment Zone
Now the Greenpower Park team and Coventry council have declared that 鈥渟ecuring battery cell supply in the 海角视频 today is as vital as securing steel was in the 1940s and 50s鈥. They say the 海角视频 is falling behind countries such as US, France and Spain when it comes to attracting battery investment - and say the next Government should work to accelerate 海角视频 battery production.
The 海角视频 has one operational gigafactory - Envision AESC - which is producing up to 6 GWh of battery capacity annually. But suggests the 海角视频 will need 100 GWh per annum by 2030 to support the electric vehicle industry alone, and that demand could double by 2040.
Meanwhile demand will also grow in other areas, including electricity storage and in marine and aviation.
Greenpower Park calls the West Midlands 鈥渢he electrification skills capital of the 海角视频鈥 and says the region 鈥渋s rapidly becoming the centre of cell and battery research and development in the 海角视频鈥.
Richard Moore, Greenpower Park鈥檚 battery strategy specialist, said: 鈥淭his is not the first time the 海角视频 has faced a resource crisis. We ramped up steel supply in the 1940s and 50s to build and replace military and civil equipment and can draw a parallel from this with battery cell demands today. And if we act now, we can still resolve the crisis.
鈥淭he 海角视频 has got to get its head out of the sand if it thinks it鈥檚 going to hit its battery cell targets. The government and stakeholders have been slow to react to battery cell supply demands. If the next government doesn鈥檛 take action, there will be a major risk to the security of energy supply, which will leave the nation in a perilous state.鈥
Cllr Jim O鈥橞oyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council said, 鈥淭he current Government has made some progress, but we need the next Government to go even further to accelerate the 海角视频鈥檚 growing battery sector. From automotive to energy storage, there is an urgent need to secure global battery manufacturers along with the associated supply chain to meet the growing demand for electrification in the 海角视频.
鈥淓lectrification, across all sectors, is of strategic importance for the 海角视频 and it needs to be part of the next Government鈥檚 broader industrial strategy which will ensure that potential investors consider the 海角视频 in the future.鈥
Greenpower Park is part of a joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport Ltd. It is backed by an alliance including the West Midlands Combined Authority, Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council, Rugby Council, Warwick Manufacturing Group at University of Warwick, Coventry University, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre.
