In order for the UK to successfully make the switch from petrol and diesel vehicle production across into EV’s, we need to build large-scale battery manufacturing plants – i.e. Gigafactories.  As warned by numerous industry leaders including JLR’s Ralf Speth “if batteries go out of the UK, then so will automotive production UK”.

Haunting words but clearly backed-up by the advances already being made by Germany and France in the race to achieve lithium-ion cell manufacturing capability.

Our own Government’s “Faraday Battery Challenge” team have calculated that up to 13 giga-factories with production capacities of 15 GWh will be required by 2040 which equates roughly to £18bn of investment.

This scale of investment and development requires serious support which is where the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) based in Coventry comes in to play. Positioned between industry and academia, its purpose is to develop EV battery manufacturing capability in the UK and to share this knowledge with its commercial partners.  It is set to formally open in spring 2020.

As part of the UK Faraday Challenge it has already received £128m under the Government’s industrial strategy to look at large scale industrialisation of battery manufacturing and development of the supply chain for batteries and EVs.

Recruitment is also well underway and being handled exclusively by Consilium Recruit.  For more details and become as part of the electrification revolution then see www.consiliumrecruit.com/uk-battery-industrialisation-centre