Tata Group expected to begin EV gigafactory work this week

Tata Group is expected to being construction on what will be the UK’s largest electric vehicle battery gigafactory this week.

Work on the £4bn site in Bridgewater, Somerset, is expected to get underway shortly and will continue for the next two years.

The new plant is expected to create around 4,000 jobs when the factory opens in 2026, producing 40GWh of battery cells annually.

This is enough to supply approximately 500,000 passenger vehicles.

EV gigafactory

Tata Group, which owns Jaguar Land Rover, is understood to have received significant investment from the previous government to construct the site in the UK.

The site will be managed by its global battery business, Agratas. Tata Motors and JLR will be its first customers but it batteries will also be produced for other applications, such as two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

Then Investment Minister Lord Dominic Johnson said:

“We’re committed to making the UK one of the very best places in the world for automotive investment, and Tata Group’s decision to build its gigafactory here shows once again that this government’s plan for the car industry is working.”

The UK has just one gigafactory at the moment, located next to Nissan’s Sunderland plant, although owner AESC is building two more factories to support Nissan’s plan to build all-electric vehicles in the North East.