Luton will become second Stellantis plant in UK to manufacture electric vehicles, following Ellesmere Port.

The plant will produce the Vivaro Electric, Vauxhall’s medium-size electric van, alongside its sister versions from Citroën, Peugeot and FIAT Professional, with manufacturing to start in 2025. The plant will manufacture predominantly for the UK Right Hand Drive market but will also be able to export to Left Hand Drive markets. Production of the equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vans will continue alongside the electric versions.

In the UK, Stellantis represented 48 per cent of the electric van market last year with Vauxhall as the best-selling manufacturer and the Vivaro Electric as the number one electric van in the UK.

Recently Vauxhall also entered a partnership with Tesco to provide access to over 2,700 EV charging bays across 619 stores.

While the charge points are accessible for all EV drivers, new Vauxhall retail customers who purchase an electric Vauxhall car or van direct from a Vauxhall retailer will be able to benefit from one year’s worth of free charging credit.

James Taylor, MD, Vauxhall, said: “As electric vehicle sales continue to grow, access to practical charging continues to be a hot topic to ensure the UK can continue along its electrification journey, whether at home, on-street or at a required destination.”

Vauxhall’s partnership with Tesco comes as part of its Electric Streets of Britain initiative. Electric Streets of Britain was introduced to address the lack of on-street charging provision in the UK, following research that revealed over 70 percent of UK councils surveyed did not have a published strategy in place for residential on-street charging for electric vehicles, and that 69 per cent of local authorities had yet to install any on-street chargers.

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