Bentley CEO reveals they're moving to electric cars
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Britishvolt is a firm that’s set to build Britain’s first large-scale “gigafactory”, with the help of £1.7billion in private and Government support. The new electric car battery factory will be built near Blyth, in Northumberland, and is one of two major UK battery manufacturing projects. Experts predict that the gigafactory will have a significant impact on the UK’s electric vehicle industry, as the presence of a battery manufacturer would incentivise EV producers to manufacture their vehicles here.
Earlier this month, the company signed a deal with British automaker Lotus to create a new advanced lithium-ion battery cell.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Graham Hoare, the CEO of BritishVolt said: “The project that we’re involved with [Lotus] on is the electric drive train.
“We’re providing uniquely architectured battery cells that will provide a stronger balance between power and energy, that will enable Lotus vehicles to feel very different.
“It’s different from a mainstream battery.
“It’s an evolution of both the design of the cell and the chemistry inside it.”
In a press release, Oliver Jones, Chief Commercial Officer, Britishvolt described this “As in Formula 1, this high-performance research and development will ultimately cascade down to influence the electro chemistries of more affordable batteries and EVs.”
The two companies are set to collaborate on integrating cell formats and chemistry that provide enhanced energy density and power capability, fast charging and other specifications.
This follows a £100million investment by Lotus in its UK facilities, which includes manufacturing centres at Hethel for the Evija pure-electric hypercar and Emira sports car.
In a statement, Matt Windle, the Lotus Cars Managing Director said: “Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver.
“These are the first exciting steps on the journey towards an all-new electric sports car from Lotus.
“Last year we committed Lotus to a pure-electric future, and in the first month of this year, we announce another significant step on that journey.
“In the coming months we will be unveiling the Type 132, an all-new and all-electric Lotus SUV and we’ve confirmed three more EVs are on the way.”
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Mr Hoare hopes that the launch of his new gigafactory could turn the UK into an electric vehicle manufacturing powerhouse.
He said: “Through BritishVolt, we’ll provide the first full-scale gigafactory for the UK.
“But we think the UK needs about 90 GWh of capacity between now and 2030.
The BritishVolt proposition is the biggest and the first, but we aspire that more will come into the UK.
“It’s going to be a very vibrant marketplace.”
He predicted that the high demand means that there will be “more gigafactories built across the UK”.
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