The UK’s ambitious target of reaching Net Zero by 2050 will only be achieved if the automotive industry is able to successfully design and manufacture pure electric vehicles. To ensure that the UK plays a part in this transition, and protects thousands of jobs in the industry and its supply chain, we need to secure new battery technology Gigafactories at the heart of Great Britain’s automotive sector - the West Midlands.
As the leaders of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and WMG, University of Warwick, we feel the West Midlands has a compelling case for hosting a Gigafactory.
For decades, the Region has been the home of the UK’s engineering excellence - with talent and skills that are the envy of other manufacturing hubs in the UK and across the globe. This base of talent, along with the Region’s internationally recognised and diversified supply chain infrastructure, is already home to some of the world’s best known automotive brands. For every £1 the Government has invested here, we’ve attracted another £4 from the private sector. A Gigafactory would only accelerate this support from the private sector - and help the Government’s backing go even further.
A West Midlands Gigafactory would fuel a resurgence of Britain’s proud automotive heritage, creating thousands of well-paid, high-skilled jobs to thousands of workers in the Region, and providing a pipeline of demand and investment for local SMEs. Without such battery infrastructure, this whole industry will be under threat - not just from devastating job losses at manufacturers, but from the wider impact of the collapse of businesses which are critical to the automotive supply chain.
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