India’s Tata Group has committed £4 billion (over Rs 42,000 crore) towards constructing a new battery cell gigafactory in the United Kingdom (UK). Formalising the announcement, Tata Sons revealed the new cell manufacturing facility will have a total capacity of 40 GWh, with Jaguar Land Rover (now known as JLR) and Tata Motors set to be its first ‘anchor’ customers. This facility, reportedly set to be established in Somerset, will produce ‘high-quality, high-performance, sustainable battery cells and packs’ for use in mobility and energy storage applications, as per a statement from the company.
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Set to begin production in 2026, Tata’s cell plant – which will produce both lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) and nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry cells – will also house a battery recycling unit, which will help the conglomerate secure vital raw material and establish a circular economy. The group is also targeting the use of renewable energy for 100 per cent of the cell plant’s power needs.
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Tata's Agratas will handle securing the raw materials as well as design and development of the lithium-ion cells for JLR.
This announcement follows JLR’s statement about sourcing battery cells for its upcoming EVs from Tata Group’s Agratas Energy Storage Solutions. As part of the alliance, Agratas will handle securing the raw materials as well as design and development of the lithium-ion cells and their testing and validation. Agratas, the Tata Group company, has signed an MoU with the government of Gujarat to set up a lithium-ion cell manufacturing plant in the state. The plant will have an initial capacity of 20 GWh, with plans to double capacity going forward.
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Following the announcement, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said, “The Tata group is deeply committed to a sustainable future across all of our business. Today, I am delighted to announce the Tata group will be setting up one of Europe's largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK. Our multi-billion pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, Jaguar Land Rover.”
The Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak, commented on Tata’s decision to set up a gigafactory, saying “Tata group’s decision to build their new gigafactory here in the UK – their first outside of India – is a huge vote of confidence in Britain. This will be one of the largest ever investments in the UK automotive sector. It will not only create thousands of skilled jobs for Britons around the country, but it will also strengthen our lead in the global transition to electric vehicles, helping to grow our economy in clean industries of the future.”
JLR is looking to offer battery packs of up to 120 kWh in its upcoming EV models and targeting a range of up to 730 km on a full charge. Its first EVs – a Land Rover SUV and a Jaguar four-door GT – are currently being readied for a 2024 debut.
