What is a gigafactory?

Keu questions answered on gigafactories.

Building electric vehicle battery factories in the UK is seen as vital to the country’s automotive industry (Alamy/PA)

Building electric vehicle (EV) battery factories in the UK is seen as vital to the country’s automotive industry.

Here the PA news answers eight questions about these gigafactories.

– What is a gigafactory?

A large site where EV batteries are produced.

– Which country has the most?

China. It is estimated to be on course to make more than twice as many batteries as every other country in the world combined.

– Why does the UK need gigafactories?

EV manufacturers want batteries to be produced as close as possible to where the rest of the vehicle is built.

Having gigafactories in the UK is seen as vital to encourage car-makers to keep and open plants in the country.

– Why is EV production important?

Sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2030.

– What is inside EV batteries?

They are built from a combination of raw materials, including precious metals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese which are extracted from the ground through complex and costly methods.

– How many gigafactories does the UK need?

Research from the Faraday Institution say at least five will be needed by 2030 to meet demand for the number of EVs expected to be built in the UK at that point.

– Are any gigafactories already open in the UK?

The UK’s only large-scale EV battery plant opened in 2012 in Sunderland.

It is owned by Envision and provides batteries for Nissan’s Leaf electric cars.

The company is planning to open a second gigafactory in the city in 2025.

– What happened to Britishvolt?

The start-up company started building a gigafactory in Blyth, Northumberland, in 2021 but went out of business earlier this year as it could not raise enough money.

It was bought by Australian business Recharge Industries, which hopes to resume construction.