Jaguar Land Rover wants to build next generation of electric cars in Coventry

[dutchman]

Government backing is needed though to turn Coventry into UK's first 'smart city'



Jaguar Land Rover wants to build the next generation of electric cars and their batteries in Coventry - generating thousands of jobs and creating the UK’s first ‘smart city’.

But JLR chief executive Ralph Speth has insisted the car maker’s vision for Coventry and Warwickshire won’t happen without support and has challenged the government to match the firm’s ambitions for the UK to lead the world in autonomous, connected, electric vehicles.

JLR has already announced plans to massively expand its research and development facilities at Whitley and now wants to create a ‘hub’ for the cars of the future based on Whitley and the nearby Warwick Manufacturing Group.

The masterplan was outlined to the Telegraph last night at a presentation for a small group of invited guests including the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark, at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) base.

JLR last week revealed its I-Pace concept car, which it plans to have in production in 2018 and Dr Speth warned the firm and the UK were in a ‘race’ with Germany and would either be ‘first or last’.

The state-of-the-art electric motors and 90kWh lithium-ion battery pack which will power the I-Pace were designed by JLR at Whitley in Coventry and Gaydon in Warwickshire.

Dr Speth told guests last night that he wanted to bring the research and development and production of electric car batteries to Coventry and Warwickshire.

The Telegraph understands that this would mean that car manufacturing would follow as the batteries weigh 650kg each, so it makes sense to have the car factory right next door.

And if we had eggs we could have ham and eggs, if only we had ham!

[dutchman]

Council backs Jaguar Land Rover's electric car production bid



Coventry City Council has backed calls from Jaguar Land Rover for government support for plans to build electric cars in the city.

The firm, based in Coventry, said it wanted to make the UK a "global centre of excellence" for battery research.

However, it said it needed support from government to improve infrastructure and power supplies.

Coventry City Councillor Jim O'Boyle said it was important the government "stepped up to the plate".

"We want to be at the forefront of this new technology, we don't want it to go abroad," he said.

JLR's challenge comes after Nissan announced it would produce two new models at its Sunderland plant, backed by assurances from the government over investment in research and development.

Mr O'Boyle, in charge of regeneration in Coventry, said the problem faced by JLR was due to the large power capacity needed to produce the latest electric vehicles and their batteries.

He said any solution would involve "putting a lot of cables in the ground".

Already Britain's largest carmaker by volume, JLR said it hoped to double production to one million vehicles a year.

JLR's Whitley site has already been earmarked for further expansion, but if the firm's latest plans come to fruition, Mr O'Boyle said they would need more space and a new site.

He said that could be land identified as part of the £250m Gateway business park scheme on greenbelt land around Coventry airport, which was vetoed by then Communities Secretary Eric Pickles last year.