New Euro Gigafactory ‘Production Ready’ in a Year

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

---

17th February 2022

The latest gigafactory provider is claiming its new automotive battery production plant will be up and running in less than a year.

Eurocell, an Anglo-Korean battery company, has announced it is set to build its first European plant producing proven ‘production ready’ technologies in just 12 months, far faster than other gigafactory. It claims this is possible because it has a proven battery product which is ready for scaled-up manufacturing.

With an initial £600M ($813M) investment planned over two phases, it intends to supply European energy storage, automotive and e-mobility applications, with full capacity reached as early as 2025. The company will mass-produce and export its technologies from one of three key markets, the UK, the Netherlands or Spain. It is already actively looking at sites and the final choice is heavily dependent on the best government support package.

It is promising the creation of hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, transferring vital skills from Korean battery experts. The company’s batteries are claimed to last more than ten times longer than conventional lithium-ion cells with a wide range of operating temperatures suited to areas with extreme weather and without an existing grid network.

It intends to construct its new gigafactory in two phases. The first phase will begin producing advanced battery cells at scale by early 2023 for existing customers. In parallel a bespoke facility will be constructed on the same site, capable of producing in excess of 40 million cells per year by 2025. Recardo Bruins, CEO Eurocell EMEA, said: “Eurocell in the UK is a new company, led by a highly experienced UK team and backed by our South Korean partner with decades of experience in electro-chemistry, making batteries at mass-scale and building the gigafactories to produce them. Now we are planning to rapidly expand in Europe, supplying the energy storage and automotive industries with our market-leading technologies that last longer, perform better and are 100% safe. These products can be on the market in months, not years.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_