Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
As predicted (by me), a little more clarity on the Vauxhall Ellesmere Port situation shows it has naff-all to do with Brexit.
The issue is the UK government ban on new ICE-engine cars after 2030. This means for the factory to have a long-term future it must be re-tooled to produce entirely new electric vehicles, and the problem with electric vehicle manufacturing is the batteries. They’re big, they’re heavy and they’re difficult to transport. They’re actually covered by the Brexit trade deal for manufacture in the EU, transport to the UK for fitting in new cars and then re-export to EU markets, but the logistics make this largely moot. You can’t even put them through the channel tunnel for safety reasons.
The biggest question mark over the entire automotive industry in the UK is how quickly battery production can be scaled up, in factories within the UK, close enough to the vehicle assembly plants to mitigate the transport problems.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56190072 |
Yup, I said in #482, the proposed battery factory in Coventry gives me grounds for optimism.
It's wishful thinking not to see the Brexit connection - the uncertainty over a trade deal with the EU from 2016 until recently has prevented investment in UK battery manufacture.