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UK needed to get a gigafactory to remain a player in automotive manufacturing, but this report saying that came out *21 months*' ago + pointed out that gigafactories also need to be where the EV manufacturers are. 1/ https://faraday.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Exec-Summary-Report_May2019_FINAL.pdf
Honda will make its first electric vehicle in Japan, for Japan and Europe. Batteries made by China's CATL 2/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_e
Toyota has recently said it will not invest in EVs in UK in its 2027 investment round (when UK made Corolla model comes to an end) which is when the Blyth gigafactory would be expected to reach full production. 3/ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/dec/07/toyota-will-not-invest-in-electric-cars-in-uk-until-at-least-2034
So that leaves, out of Japanese car manufacturers, Nissan's LEAF. Batteries are supplied by AESC (started as a joint venture between Nissan, NEC + NEC Tokin, now owned by China's Envison), made in Sunderland 4/ https://www.envision-aesc.com/en/network.html
Nissan's new EV, the Ariya, will not be made in Sunderland but in Japan - like Honda, using China's CATL batteries. 5/ https://www.expressandstar.com/news/motors/2020/07/15/nissan-rules-out-producing-new-ariya-ev-at-sunderland-factory/
So who is the Blyth gigafactory going to be making batteries for? JLR presumably. Who were reported to be in talks with China's BYD to produce batteries in Wolverhampton. Or BMW's electric mini - currently bringing in batteries from Germany. 6/6 https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/jaguar-land-rover-invest-%C2%A31bn-three-new-uk-built-evs
