Coventry City Council will enter a Joint Venture partnership with Coventry Airport to develop proposals for a Gigafactory.

The Joint Venture partners will develop proposals and submit an outline planning application for a Gigafactory in 2021. This will take place alongside regional discussions with battery suppliers and automotive manufacturers to secure the long-term investment needed.

The need for manufacture of batteries for EVs and other uses is widely expected and has been accelerated by the Government’s ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.

The location of the factory also provides short supply chains to Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin Lagonda, LEVC and BMW (Mini).

The 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. Various regions have been vying for interest, with Blyth, in Northumberland, being named as the site for the Britishvolt factory.

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 next step is to submit the case to Government to win the funding required, and discussions are already well underway with the UK’s leading car makers and battery suppliers across the globe to put together the strongest bid possible. I will not rest until the West Midlands has the Gigafactory it needs.”

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