A Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) batteries is set to invest more than £1 billion into building Britain’s largest gigafactory.
EVE Energy, which makes EV batteries for BMW, is said to be in talks to build the giant battery plant, on the outskirts of Coventry.
The investment, first reported by The Sunday Times, will see the Chinese firm invest at least £1.2 billion into a 20GWh gigafactory, which is to be expanded to 60GWh over time.
The gigafactory would likely create 6,000 jobs along with thousands more in the supply chain.
The investment forms part of a bigger project called the UK Centre of Electrification, which is a joint venture between the owners of Coventry airport and local councils. The giant factory would be located at Coventry airport.
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The gigafactory will be located close to Jaguar Land Rover and BMW carmaking facilities along with UK’s largest battery research center, the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.
Last year, Tata Group, the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, also made a £4bn commitment to build an electric car battery gigafactory in Britain. The Somerset-based plant will bring 4,000 new jobs to the area.
Nissan has also invested £2 billion into building two new electric vehicle (EV) models in Sunderland.
A government spokesperson added: “We are determined to ensure the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing as we transition to electric vehicles, while ensuring taxpayer money is used responsibly and provides best value. We do not comment on speculation or the commercial affairs of private companies.”
EVE Energy did not reply to a request for comment.
