Coventry to get £28m to develop electric vehicle technology as part of first local industrial strategy

Coventry is set to cement its position at the heart of the electric vehicle revolution after it was announced the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre is to benefit from an additional £28m of government funding.

The announcement was made by Andrew Stephenson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, during a visit to the Advanced Propulsion Centre in Coventry as part of the first local industrial strategy in the country.

Mr Stephenson revealed the Government is to provide a further £28 million for the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre being built in Coventry.

The battery centre will provide world-leading testing facilities for new battery technologies, and the Government investment will also provide practical training in battery manufacturing.

The £80m UK Battery Industrialisation Centre is due to open in Whitley, Coventry, next year.

In itself it will create around 100 jobs but it is seen as a catalyst for what might follow in its wake and thought to have the potential to unlock 10,000 new jobs once it is running at full capacity.

Bringing the facility to Coventry, which won out in a national competition to choose where it would be sited, could prove a key building block for Coventry to become the UK’s ‘motor city’ once again.

The latest funding announcement is one of the measures in the West Midlands Local Industrial Strategy, developed in collaboration with hundreds of businesses and backed by regional mayor Andy Street and council leaders.

The strategy, which was launched in Coventry by Mr Stephenson and West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, sets out plans for the West Midlands to be at the forefront of the development of cleaner, safer, easier and more reliable future modes of transport.

The objectives of the West Midlands Local Industrial Strategy

Its objectives include:

Playing a leading role in the UK’s trials of connected autonomous vehicles, with the West Midlands aiming to deploy the first fully operational connected autonomous vehicles - or self-driving cars - in advance of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Putting investment into electric vehicle manufacturing in the region.

Delivering the UK’s first large-scale 5G testbed in the West Midlands. This ties in with plans to develop autonomous vehicles, because they will use 5G technology to communicate.

Supporting the development of a West Midlands Translational Medicine and Med-Tech commission to help new medical technical technology get to patients sooner.

What Business Secretary Greg Clark said

Speaking about the latest move Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “This Local Industrial Strategy is tailored to the specific challenges in the West Midlands, and will set an example for other regions to follow.

“Our funding for the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry is a key part of this, and will see a world-class facility developed in this automotive heartland, further cementing opportunities, growth and inward investment in the West Midlands.”

He said the Government had provided funding for the region including £20m to help it become the UK’s first “Future Mobility Zone” - introducing new technologies to encourage more seamless and efficient journeys.

What West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “The West Midlands is already home to the industries of tomorrow.

“We have some of the world’s most competitive and innovative companies in advanced manufacturing, electric and autonomous vehicle development and medical research.

“This Local Industrial Strategy is about capitalising on those strengths to release the region’s full economic potential for the benefit of all our communities.”

Jeff Pratt, managing director of UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, said: “It is fantastic to see construction starting on UKBIC and we are looking forward to working with all our partners on this project which will have huge significance on the next generation of battery systems.”

Jeff Pratt, who has been appointed managing director of the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC)

Tony Harper, Faraday Battery Challenge director at UK Research and Innovation, said: “This new world-class facility will allow the UK to rigorously prepare our home-grown battery technologies for global competitiveness. This additional investment will mean its ambitious facilities will be expanded and improved to meet the soaring demand of the electric vehicle global market.”

Jonathan Browning, chair of the CWLEP, said: “This is an exciting step in creating the UKBIC which will have a vital role in helping the UK to become a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of batteries through collaborative research and development between industry and academia.

“Coventry and Warwickshire is renowned for our innovation and expertise and this is an important milestone in establishing a new centre which will influence this sector throughout the world.”

Coventry City Council local elections 2019 - Cllr Jim O'Boyle (Image: Tom Davis)

Coventry City Councillor Jim O’Boyle cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, and a director of the CWLEP, said: “The petrol engine changed the world in a way people would not have thought possible. And now the march of electric vehicles is about to do the same again and I’m delighted that Coventry is once again leading the way.

“The construction of the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre puts Coventry and the wider area at the heart of this new technology which will transform the way we travel, create skilled jobs for local people and help to protect the environment.”