New Gigafactory will supply battery power for 600,000 electric vehicles

By Paul Fenech

Last updated: Nov 30th 2022

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Plans to develop Coventry Airport into the UK’s largest factory facility will help to secure the electric automotive industry’s long-term future

A joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport Ltd have today revealed their plans for a giant Gigafactory to be built at the site of the airport. It’s part of a £2.5bn investment to supply electric car batteries to the automotive industry and is hoped to be up and running by 2025.

The news comes after Britishvolt revealed its plans to supply EV batteries at its facility at Blyth in Northumberland, while Nissan in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, has also secured investment to build its own EV battery manufacturing plant, too.

The Gigafactory will be built on the site measuring over half a million square metres - equivalent to 74 football pitches. It also comes at a time that is certainly crucial for securing the future of electric vehicle manufacturing, as we loom ever closer to the end of petrol and diesel engine production in 2030.

The plant will be powered using 100% renewable energy sourced from solar and grid-supplied electricity and almost certainly will be one of the largest factory facilities to be built in the UK, creating at least 6,000 highly skilled jobs. When at full capacity, the Gigafactory will be capable of producing 60gWh worth of different sized batteries, that should power at least 600,000 electric vehicles.

Mike Murray, who is the West Midlands Gigafactory Project Director, said: “The West Midlands Gigafactory has a singular mission to create a state-of-the-art battery Gigafactory in the heart of the UK automotive industry. It will provide a huge cash investment in the area, leading to thousands of well-paid jobs and creating crucial new skills for this country.

“The Coventry Airport site is perfectly located to do just that, being ideally positioned to supply the UK’s leading automotive manufacturers who needs access to world-class batteries on their doorsteps. We need to make these advanced lithium-ion batteries where we make cars and there is no better place than the West Midlands.”

With its location at Coventry Airport, the huge Gigafactory will be close to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre which is part of the Faraday Challenge within the UK. The West Midlands Gigafactory will also work alongside the UK BIC for research and prototype performance stages that will enable the success of EV battery mass production.