Britishvolt recently selected a site in the North East of England to build the UK ’ s first battery gigaplant . The company has acquired exclusive rights to a site in Blyth , Northumberland and intends to begin construction in Summer 2021 , providing “ world-class lithium-ion batteries ” by the end of 2023 .
Total investment for Britishvolt ’ s gigaplant is £ 2.6bn making it the largest industrial investment in the North East since Nissan ’ s arrival in 1984 and one of the largest-ever industrial investments in the UK . By the final phase of the project in 2027 it will be employing up to 3000 highly skilled people , producing over 300,000 lithium-ion batteries for the UK automotive industry . It will further provide up to 5000 jobs in the wider supply chain .
Falling battery costs make it likely that the total cost of ownership for a passenger EV will reach parity with internal-combustion-engine cars by the mid-2020s , believes McKinsey .
In his blog , GatesNotes , Bill Gates writes even with big breakthroughs in battery technology , electric vehicles will probably never be a practical solution for large vehicles , ships and jets . But
GLOBAL EV FORECASTS
• CAGR of 29 % over the next 10 years
• Total EV sales growing to 11.2 million by 2025
• EVs to secure approximately 32 per cent of the total market share for new car sales
• China will hold 49 % of the global EV market by 2030 , Europe 27 % and US 14 % Source : Deloitte Insights
switching to electric vehicles and alternative fuels “ is the most effective way we can move toward zero emissions from the transportation sector ,” he writes .
The bright outlook for electric vehicles is in sharp contrast to the rest of the market . UK sales fell to their lowest levels last year since the second world war last year . Honda suspended production twice in two months in Swindon , citing supplier delays as Brexit was implemented . While tariffs have been avoided , the industry is bracing itself for additional costs .
49 energydigital . com