Britishvolt partners with Prologis to build a £200 million facility

Britishvolt has partnered with a logistics real estate operator to build a £200m battery cell scale-up facility in the West Midlands. The project is expected to create 150 jobs and support the UK’s race to Net Zero.

The facility at Prologis Park Hams Hall aims to be a centre of excellence for EV/electrification and unify the Britishvolt Northumberland Gigaplant with a centrally located scale-up/technology hub.

This investment is designed to enable Britishvolt to develop new formats and formulations to make both higher performance and more affordable cells for the world’s future electric cars and commercial vehicles.

Paul Franklin, property director at Britishvolt, said: “The UK’s battery ecosystem is a global leader in integrated technology development and industrialisation with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

“I am delighted to see Britishvolt lead the UK’s journey into re-industrialisation with the first full-scale battery gigaplant. The new scale-up facilities announced today will help the UK build on its home-grown battery intellectual property and level up the country ready for the energy transition.”

Tom Price, capital leasing and deployment director with Prologis UK, added: “The reputation of Hams Hall and the location’s connections to the UK automotive sector has allowed us to embark on a wider conversation with Britishvolt.

“Prologis is committed to embedding sustainability into every aspect of our business. When looking at last-mile logistics, that is the final delivery of goods to people’s homes, it’s clear that the work Britishvolt are embarking on will contribute to reducing emissions in supply chains.”

Practical completion of the development is anticipated in July with fit-out and equipment installation to be undertaken through to the end of the third quarter of 2023.