The UK government must act quickly to ensure the country can take advantage of the transition to electric cars and become a centre for the production of vehicles and batteries, according to a new report.
The UK government must act quickly to ensure the country can take advantage of the transition to electric cars and become a centre for the production of vehicles and batteries, according to a new report.
The report, commissioned by the Faraday Institution – the UK’s national centre for battery research – and carried out with experts from Oxford University and McKinsey Energy Insights, says the country ‘risks falling behind’ without a coordinated effort by government and industry leaders to attract the next generation of manufacturing.
In the absence of any major ‘gigafactories’ producing batteries alongside associated electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, the researchers predict that 114,000 automotive industry jobs would be lost by 2040. But with the right strategy, the UK could instead become a world leader in the production of batteries and EVs, with a potential 246,000 employees in the industry by 2040.
Professor David Howey, the principal investigator of the report from Oxford’s Department of Engineering Science, said: ‘The energy transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) to electric is under way and has important implications for the UK automotive sector, calling for up to 200 GWh of annual battery manufacturing capacity in 2040.
Read more at University of Oxford
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