Tata confirms location for UK's EV gigafactory

Jaguar Land Rover parent Tata has chosen the Gravity Smart Campus near the M5 motorway as the home of the UK's second electric vehicle (EV) battery factory.

Agratas, the Indian conglomerate’s battery business, said it had bought the land at the former Royal Ordnance Factory where it expects around 4,000 jobs to be created once production starts in 2026.

The news follows a July announcement by Tata that it had selected the Bridgwater, Somerset area for the £4 billion investment - rather than Spain - following a competitive bid process which was supported by a substantial £500 million UK Government subsidy.

“The 40GWh factory is set to be the biggest battery factory in the country and by the early 2030s will contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector,” Agratas said. 

The UK will have two gigafactories; the other is being built in Sunderland by Chinese company Envision to supply Nissan. A third project launched by Britishvolt went into administration. 

Two gigafactories will still leave the UK a long way behind the European Union (EU) however, which has at least 35 gigafactories in operation, under construction or planned to support the substantial surge in battery electric car sales

January data, as reported by European car manufacturing body ACEA demonstrates the robust growth in EV sales, with notable increases recorded in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.

New battery electric car sales in the EU surged by 28.9% to 92,741 units, representing a total market share of 10.9%. The four largest markets in the region – together covering 66% of all battery electric car registrations – recorded robust double-digit gains: Belgium (+75.5%), the Netherlands (+72.2%), France (+36.8%), and Germany (+23.9%).