Tesla is currently building a new facility in Germany after having scoured the continent for the best location. The electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer knew it wanted to establish a European Gigafactory, and one of the other candidates was the United Kingdom. But in the end, Brexit was a hurdle that the company would have to jump through, and Musk decided against it. He told Auto Express that:
The sovereign country’s plan to exit the European Union] made it too risky to put a Gigafactory in the UK.
Hence why Brandenburg, Germany, was chosen. The Gigafactory Berlin production plant is expected to start producing vehicles in July 2021 and will employ 12,000 people.
However, the fact that the UK was under consideration meant it remained among the list of possible next locations. Knowing this and acknowledging that Tesla’s illustrious success could be beneficial to its automotive manufacturing sector and overall economy, the UK government helped find a suitable location for a new Tesla production facility. The Department for International Trade (DIT) found a plot large enough for a plant that will include a Research and Development facility.
A DIT spokesperson told the British business magazine Property Week:
The government is working with industry to help make the UK the location of choice to develop world-class electric vehicle technologies. DIT is working closely with partners to scope out sites for new investment into electric vehicle research, development, and manufacturing across the UK.
Therefore, Tesla may see the construction of a second Gigafactory begin before the first one is even complete! Granted, they are saying it will be a facility primarily dedicated to research with the possibility of also assembling battery packs.
The new Tesla facility could be located in Somerset, a county in South West England, on a vast 650-acre plot. Meaning, it’ll be bigger than Tesla’s Fremont facility, sitting on 370 acres, and Giga Shanghai, on 214 acres, but smaller than the Giga Berlin facility being erected now on a 740-acre site.
The hope is that the new £1 billion battery gigafactory will reanimate the UK’s feeble car industry. There is potential for sure since electric vehicles have green credentials. From 2040 onwards, the government wants all new cars sold in the nation to be zero emissions. That means the industry favors EVs as the future of manufacturing.
