🚨NEW🚨
- UK govt privately warned it's falling dangerously behind in its plans to build a battery industry.
- Plans nowhere near enough to save the car industry, according to documents seen by Sky News.
- Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be at risk as a result.
🧵
- UK govt privately warned it's falling dangerously behind in its plans to build a battery industry.
- Plans nowhere near enough to save the car industry, according to documents seen by Sky News.
- Hundreds of thousands of jobs could be at risk as a result.
🧵
The key chart.
The higher the bars the more battery production capacity.
The leftmost bar is what the UK produces now
The middle one is where we’ll be in 2030, based on current projections
The one on the right is where we OUGHT to be aiming for by 2030.
DOUBLE the current plan.
The higher the bars the more battery production capacity.
The leftmost bar is what the UK produces now
The middle one is where we’ll be in 2030, based on current projections
The one on the right is where we OUGHT to be aiming for by 2030.
DOUBLE the current plan.
Why does this matter?
Because the UK’s strength in car manufacturing was built in large part on our ability to design & make engines.
The EV revolution turns the industrial rules on its head: the main value-add comes not from engines but from batteries.
Matters for jobs & exports
Because the UK’s strength in car manufacturing was built in large part on our ability to design & make engines.
The EV revolution turns the industrial rules on its head: the main value-add comes not from engines but from batteries.
Matters for jobs & exports
In other words a lot of high-skill manufacturing/design jobs are at risk as the 2030 deadline for an end to petrol car sales looms.
Hence why there's so much focus on battery production.
This is before one contemplates how central this sector is to eliminating carbon emissions.
Hence why there's so much focus on battery production.
This is before one contemplates how central this sector is to eliminating carbon emissions.
The warning, spelt out using data from @benchmarkmin, a leading authority on batteries, was submitted to UK govt this week.
This 2030 target 👇 is predicated on replacing engine production with battery production and assuming UK wants to maintain car output at today’s levels
This 2030 target 👇 is predicated on replacing engine production with battery production and assuming UK wants to maintain car output at today’s levels
For context…
The red bar is where China is projected to be by 2030.
This is the biggest industrial race of the 21st century.
Right now China, alongside Japan & S Korea, are far out in the lead, much as the US/Europe led the way with the first motor age a century ago.
The red bar is where China is projected to be by 2030.
This is the biggest industrial race of the 21st century.
Right now China, alongside Japan & S Korea, are far out in the lead, much as the US/Europe led the way with the first motor age a century ago.
There’s a simultaneous race for battery materials.
Doubtless you’re already aware of this but the scale is nonetheless mind-boggling.
This chart shows you how much the UK will have to increase its supplies of lithium/cobalt/graphite by 2030.
Lithium/graphite up by 9,000%!
Doubtless you’re already aware of this but the scale is nonetheless mind-boggling.
This chart shows you how much the UK will have to increase its supplies of lithium/cobalt/graphite by 2030.
Lithium/graphite up by 9,000%!
The great challenge for the UK is how to respond. Do we leave industry to its own devices? That’s the usual MO, but then again most Asian companies enjoy explicit/implicit govt support.
It’s not a level playing field.
So @beisgovuk is being forced out of its comfort zone…
It’s not a level playing field.
So @beisgovuk is being forced out of its comfort zone…
In fairness the cogs are moving: there’s a new advisory committee charged with looking at this (that’s where this data was submitted). There are bodies like @theapcuk. Companies like @BritishvoltUK have enjoyed unusual govt support.
The question is whether we’re ambitious enough.
The question is whether we’re ambitious enough.
News story here 👇
I’ve been digging into this a while so I’ll have more in the coming days (some of the details are 👀).
When UK committed to net zero it inherently committed to a new industrial revolution.
We need to discuss what it takes to get there
news.sky.com/story/thousand…
I’ve been digging into this a while so I’ll have more in the coming days (some of the details are 👀).
When UK committed to net zero it inherently committed to a new industrial revolution.
We need to discuss what it takes to get there
news.sky.com/story/thousand…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
