The plant, which if built could create as many as 4,000 jobs in the factory and thousands more in the supply chain, is being driven by a joint venture partnership between Coventry City Council and The Rigby Group, which owns Coventry Airport.
The West Midlands is already the heart of the UK automotive sector, and home to several automotive manufacturers, including Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin Lagonda, BMW, LEVC and others.
The news comes a day after JLR committed to phasing out all petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2025 - the same year as it is hoped the Gigafactory could be operational.
Securing a Gigafactory in the West Midlands has been identified as vital for the continued success of the automotive industry, creating thousands of green jobs, attracting up to £2bn of investment, and supporting the drive for Net Zero. The UK government is actively pursuing investment in a Gigafactory and has made up to £500m funding available, which the West Midlands will be bidding for in due course.
Start-up company, BritishVolt, is already pressing ahead with plans to build a Gigafactory in Blyth, Northumberland, close to the Nissan factory in Sunderland, but it is yet to secure funding.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “I have been utterly obsessed with securing a Gigafactory for the West Midlands due to the huge economic and job benefits it would bring, and so I am delighted we have announced our preferred site and taken a huge leap forward today.
“The point I have been ferociously lobbying to Government is that the West Midlands is the natural place for a UK Gigafactory as we are already home to the country’s biggest car manufacturer, Europe’s largest research centre, the UK’s only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain."
Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, added: “As the global transition to zero-emission transport gathers momentum, we must ensure the UK remains an attractive place for the automotive supply chain.
“Carmakers around the world are racing to switch production from internal combustion engines towards electric cars with zero exhaust emissions, and our international competitors are moving quickly to accommodate their needs. If we are to safeguard existing automotive jobs and attract new investment in the era of electric vehicles, the UK needs to double down efforts to scale its battery production capabilities at pace.
“The West Midlands is offering a solution to this challenge. This region, which is responsible for a third of the country’s car production and already the UK centre for battery research, is the obvious location for a Gigafactory.
“Not only is the region home to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) - the country’s only facility for large-scale battery R&D – it is leading-edge in energy storage, smart grid infrastructure and circular solutions in battery lifecycle. The West Midlands’ unique ability to drive innovation across this whole supply chain, coupled with its portfolio of automotive heavyweights, makes it globally significant and the optimum location for a Gigafactory.
“We fully support Coventry City Council’s joint proposal with Coventry Airport Ltd., which puts the region in a strong position to secure battery suppliers and support existing employment-critical companies including Jaguar Land Rover, Changan and LEVC. It is a bold example of a catalytic West Midlands-led public-private partnership, from which the UK in its entirety has much to gain."
As well as automotive manufacturers, the Midlands is also home to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, which is already located at Coventry Airport and is the principal location in the UK for battery R&D.
