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A planning application for a major new gigafactory in central England has been submitted, with those behind the project claiming it could generate 6,000 jobs and tens of thousands more across the supply chain.

The proposals for the factory have been put forward by Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport, who are acting as joint-venture partners.

So-called gigafactories are facilities that produce batteries for electric vehicles on a large scale. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been widely credited as coining the term.

If built, the facility in Coventry would be located at Coventry Airport and focus on both the production and recycling of batteries for electric vehicles. Covering an area of up to 5.7 million square feet, the idea is for it to be powered using 100% green energy. Proposals for the project were initially revealed back in February. 

Coventry is located in the West Midlands, a part of England known for its longstanding connection to vehicle manufacturing.

“It is mission critical that the West Midlands secures a Gigafactory, both for the future of our region’s automotive industry and the huge economic and job benefits it would bring, as well as the future of our planet,” Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said Thursday.

Street went on to describe the region as already being home to “the country’s biggest car manufacturer, Europe’s largest research centre of its kind, the UK’s only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain.” He added that a gigafactory was “the natural next step for the UK’s automotive heartland.”

A decision on the planning application for the gigafactory in Coventry will be taken by Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council later in the year.

Low and zero emission transportation is seen as being a crucial tool for major economies attempting to reduce their environmental footprint and cut air pollution. 

The U.K. government, for example, plans to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030 and require, from 2035, all new cars and vans to have zero tailpipe emissions.

Elsewhere, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is targeting a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from cars and vans by 2035.

If these goals are to be met, sufficient charging infrastructure and battery manufacturing capacity will be needed in the years ahead.

On the battery front, big deals are being struck to ramp up manufacturing capacity in Europe. According to a recent briefing from campaign group Transport & Environment, 38 gigafactories for battery cells were being built or are planned in the EU and the U.K. as of May 2021.

Tesla, for example, is developing a number of gigafactories, including one in Germany, while other major automotive firms are also beginning to make plays in the sector.

In June, Renault said it had signed two major partnerships related to the design and production of electric vehicle batteries. The same month saw Nissan reveal plans to build a £1 billion ($1.38 billion) gigafactory in Sunderland, northeast England.

And back in March, Volkswagen announced it was aiming to establish several gigafactories in Europe by the end of the decade.

Speaking to CNBC’s Annette Weisbach earlier this week, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess highlighted just how important battery production would be in the years ahead, noting that challenges did exist.

“Batteries might be, let’s say, a continuous constraint for the growth of EVs over the next five to 10 years,” he said.

“Because the lead times are huge. We need so much energy and cell production … [There is a] huge supply chain which has to be set up within the next years, and that will, that might, lead to some constraints.”

CNBC’s Chloe Taylor contributed to this report

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Daily EV Recap: NJ signs law approving a punitive $250 new EV registration fee

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Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded Monday through Thursday and again on Saturday. Subscribe to our podcast in Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast player to guarantee new episodes are delivered as soon as they’re available.

Stories we discuss in this episode (with links):

‘Pro-EV’ New Jersey just OK’ed the US’s highest dumb EV fee

BYD says EVs have entered the ‘knockout round’ with next-gen tech rolling out

Ford drastically cuts workforce at F-150 Lightning EV plant amid ‘much slower’ demand

XPeng (XPEV) launches two EVs in Germany with plans to enter more EU nations later this year

Tesla starts using ‘Supervised Full Self-Driving’ language

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The first entirely US-made crystalline solar panels are coming to market

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The first entirely US-made crystalline solar panels are coming to market

All US-made solar panels featured only imported solar cells until now, but two US manufacturers just struck a three-year, $400 million deal. 

Canada-headquartered Heliene, which makes solar panels in Minnesota, will incorporate Georgia-based Suniva’s US-made monocrystalline silicon solar cells into its panels, and those “Made in the USA” panels will hit the market in mid-2024, thanks to a new three-year strategic sourcing contract between the two companies.

Heliene’s modules will be the first crystalline solar panels with US-made solar cells. Suniva says the catalyst for the pairing was solar project owners and developers wanting their projects to qualify for the 10% Domestic Content Bonus Investment Tax Credit. That’s achieved by using US-made cells based on the US Department of Treasury’s guidance published in May 2023 – and that’s in addition to the 30% IRA tax credit for renewable energy factories.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who visited Suniva’s Norcross, Georgia, factory yesterday, said, “Before this Administration, solar companies across the United States were struggling. Between 2016 and 2020, nearly 20% of solar manufacturing jobs were lost. Now, though there remain significant challenges, Inflation Reduction Act tax credits are helping change the game.”

Cristiano Amoruso, CEO of Suniva, said, “We are proud to fulfill our long-standing promise to bring back cell manufacturing to the United States at our Norcross facility.”

Read more: The US’s oldest solar factory filed for bankruptcy in 2017 – but now it’s back


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –ad*

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Porsche retires gas-powered Boxster and Cayman in the EU with all-electric model coming

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Porsche retires gas-powered Boxster and Cayman in the EU with all-electric model coming

The gas-powered Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman models are being discontinued in Europe as an all-electric version approaches its debut.

Porsche retires gas-powered 718 Boxster, Cayman cars

After announcing plans to retire its best-selling SUV in Europe, the Macan, Porsche will do the same with its 718 Boxster and Cayman models.

Porsche retired the gas-powered Macan early due to new cybersecurity rules. Its availability ends in July 2024. The gas-powered 718 Boxster and Cayman are now set for the same fate.

In a statement to Auto Express, Porsche said as a result of the rule changes “sale of the 718 models with an internal combustion engine is discontinued in the EU and some states that apply EU legislation from now on, thereby ensuring that the vehicles can be delivered to customers and registered by the deadline.”

Porsche did note the 718 Cayman GT4 RS and 718 Spyder RS are not impacted “due to small series regulations.”

Porsche-Macan-EV-Turbo
Porsche Macan EV (left) and Turbo (right) versions (Source: Porsche AG)

Although the regulation applies to all vehicles (ICE and EV), Porsche is preparing to launch an all-electric 718 model. It’s not expected to have any issues with the new rules.

Like with the Macan, updating the gas-powered version would be too costly with an electric model rolling out anyways.

Porsche’s electric 718 is getting closer to production ahead of its debut. We got a sneak peek of the EV this week after it was spotted testing in the Arctic Circle rocking production headlights.

Porsche 718 EV testing (Source: CarSpyMedia)

The German automaker is expected to reveal the electric 718 model before the end of the year with deliveries kicking off in 2025. Porsche has already begun preparing its Zuffenhausen plant for the new EV.

Porsche CEO Oliver Blume confirmed plans to begin Macan EV deliveries later this year. Up next will be an electric 718 model followed by the long-awaited Cayenne EV.

Porsche-retires-Boxster
(Source: Porsche AG)

Porsche said it’s expanding “upward” with plans for an ultra-luxury electric SUV, slated to sit above the Cayenne. Blume called it “a very sporting interpretation of an SUV.”

Despite several automakers pulling back Porsche is sticking to its target of an 80% EV delivery share by 2030.

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