Britishvolt and Prologis to build £200m West Midlands scale-up facility

Britishvolt will anchor its UK battery scale-up facilities in the West Midlands with an investment exceeding £200 million, with partner Prologis that will create and sustain upwards of 150 highly skilled and well-paid technology jobs.

Leasing the facility enables Britishvolt to rapidly ramp up cells that are production ready to be manufactured in larger volumes at its Northumberland Gigaplant.

The West Midlands is already a ‘golden triangle’ of international battery excellence with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Advanced Propulsion Centre and UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.

This new investment and commitment to the region will further unlock the huge economic potential of the UK’s world-class battery cell ecosystem.

Paul Franklin, Property Director, Britishvolt, said: “This is another important milestone for Britishvolt, UK plc and its world class automotive industry. The UK’s battery ecosystem is a global leader in integrated technology development and industrialisation with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

“I am delighted to see Britishvolt lead the UK’s journey into re-industrialisation with the first full-scale battery Gigaplant. The new scale-up facilities announced today will help the UK build on its home-grown battery intellectual property and level up the country ready for the energy transition.”

Tom Price, Capital Leasing & Deployment Director, Prologis UK, said: “Partnering with innovative technology brand Britishvolt has been a pleasure. The reputation of Hams Hall and the location’s connections to the UK automotive sector has allowed us to embark on a wider conversation with Britishvolt. With battery technology seen as the way forward, it’s exciting to be working in this growing sector.

“Prologis is committed to embedding sustainability into every aspect of our business. When looking at “last-mile” logistics, that is the final delivery of goods to people’s homes, it’s clear that the work Britishvolt are embarking on will contribute to reducing emissions in supply chains.”

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Britishvolt’s investment in the West Midlands is another seismic vote of confidence both in the future of our region and our automotive prowess.

“We are already the heartland of the UK’s automotive industry with the country’s biggest car manufacturer, Europe’s largest research centre of its kind, the UK’s only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain. So, it is incredibly exciting that as we accelerate our Gigafactory plans for Coventry Airport, Britishvolt are adding their expertise to our cluster.

“I am determined the West Midlands becomes a global leader in the research and production of state-of-the-art battery technology, and today’s announcement is another step towards achieving that.”

Image: Britishvolt

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