Company behind first UK gigafactory to set up new operation
BRITISHVOLT TO CREATE 150 JOBS AT HAMS HALL FACILITY NEAR COLESHILL
THE firm behind the UK’S first gigafactory is to set up an operation in Warwickshire which will create 150 jobs. Britishvolt is joining forces with logistics real estate operator Prologis to build a UK battery cell scale-up facility at Prologis Park Hams Hall near Coleshill.
The site has been chosen due to the growing infrastructure in the region for electric vehicle battery development. Coventry and Warwickshire are already home to WMG at the University of Warwick, the Advanced Propulsion Centre and the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre
Britishvolt says the new Warwickshire facility will see an investment of more than £200m and create around 150 highly skilled, well-paid jobs. It will serve as scale-up/technology hub for the UK’S first gigafactory to build batteries for electric vehicles at Blyth in Northumberland.
The Hams Hall site will spearhead new cell formats and electro chemistries to create higher performance, production ready, batteries of the future whilst helping lower cell costs for more affordable EVS, aiding mass adoption. Britishvolt says leasing the facility will enable the company to rapidly ramp-up cells that are production ready to be manufactured in larger volumes at its Northumberland gigafactory.
Paul Franklin, property director, Britishvolt, said: “This is another important milestone for Britishvolt, UK plc and its world class automotive industry. The UK’S battery ecosystem is a global leader in integrated technology development and industrialisation with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
“I am delighted to see Britishvolt lead the UK’S journey into re-industrialisation with the first fullscale battery gigaplant. The new scale-up facilities announced today will help the UK build on its home-grown battery intellectual property and level up the country ready for the energy transition.”
The Britishvolt announcement represents a vote of confidence in Hams Hall and the aim of it becoming a centre of excellence for the electrification of the automotive industry.
The facility will support the smooth start up of the Northumberland gigafactory operations in 2024. The development is set to be completed in July with fit-out and equipment installation to be undertaken from this year until autumn 2023. Tom Price, capital leasing & deployment director, Prologis UK, said: “Partnering with innovative technology brand Britishvolt has been a pleasure. The reputation of Hams Hall and the location’s connections to the UK automotive sector has allowed us to embark on a wider conversation with Britishvolt. With battery technology seen as the way forward, it’s exciting to be working in this growing sector. Prologis is committed to embedding sustainability into every aspect of our business.
“When looking at “last-mile” logistics, that is the final delivery of goods to people’s homes, it’s clear that the work Britishvolt are embarking on will contribute to reducing emissions in supply chains.” The growing battery development infrastructure in the West Midlands has seen it dubbed the “golden triangle” of battery excellence and the new Britishvolt scale-up facility is tipped to further unlock the huge economic potential of the UK’S battery cell ecosystem.
The move has been welcomed by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, who said: “Britishvolt’s investment in the West Midlands is another seismic vote of confidence both in the future of our region and our automotive prowess. We are already the heartland of the UK’S automotive industry with the country’s biggest car manufacturer, Europe’s largest research centre of its kind, the UK’S only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain.
“So, it is incredibly exciting that as we accelerate our gigafactory plans for Coventry Airport, Britishvolt are adding their expertise to our cluster. I am determined the West Midlands becomes a global leader in the research and production of state-ofthe-art battery technology, and today’s announcement is another step towards achieving that.”
Britishvolt has already developed pre-a battery samples at WMG and is scaling up its A-sample cell formulations at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry. The Hams Hall investment, coupled to the regional battery expertise, will help Britishvolt develop new formats and formulations helping to make both higher performance and more affordable cells for the world’s future electric cars and commercial vehicles.
Britishvolt has confirmed deals with Lotus Cars and Aston Martin, and has said it has other deals in the pipeline which will be announced shortly.
The new scale-up facilities announced today will help the UK build on its home-grown battery intellectual property