(REPOST: Autovista Group)
The National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility, as it will be named, comes thanks to a partnership between the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Coventry City Council.
The site will be built in Warwickshire to enable ‘effective partnerships between manufacturers, researchers, and economic development leaders’, benefitting from its close location to several of the UK’s biggest car makers according to the Government.
The government announced plans with Jaguar Land Rover to build a prototyping centre for battery development in June. Announcing the investment and location choice, UK business minister Greg Clark said the centre would help Britain compete globally.
‘The new facility will propel the UK forward in this thriving area, bringing experts from academia and industry together to deliver innovation and research and development that will further enhance the West Midlands’ international reputation as a cluster of automotive excellence,’ he said.
The region’s mayor, Andy Street, said the investment could help in intensifying efforts to improve air quality.
‘If we get this right, we will not only create jobs and establish this industry in our region, but we can also provide a solution for the world to help tackle issues such as congestion and air pollution,’ he said.