Electrification in the UK is world-leading, particularly as this country was the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050.
Electrification in the UK is world-leading, particularly as this country was the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. There are large sectors looking at it as a way of battling the economic challenges that the country faces, automotive, aerospace and energy being three relevant examples. Electrification has been on the agenda for some time and the current pandemic will accelerate it. Supply chain developments in the UK must become larger, more efficient and cost-effective.
The North East has a long history of electrification: electrifying trams in the 1920s, developing EVs in the 1950s and, more recently, Nissan began producing Europe’s most successful battery electric vehicle, the LEAF, and Europe’s first battery gigafactory also located to the region.
The Government is committed to making the UK a global leader in designing, producing and using ultra-low emission vehicles – spending £1 billion to date into ultra-low emission vehicles and committing £246m more over 4 years in the design, development and manufacture of batteries for vehicle electrification.
Due to the region’s experience of electrification and the fact that we have the materials and supply chains that automotive businesses need, we’re already way ahead of many other regions in the UK when it comes to vehicle electrification. Over the last 12 months, there has been a further £3.85bn of investment into electrification in the region including BritishVolt, Turntide Technologies and Nissan/Envision AESC.