Found: plan to train and reskill professionals in the automotive sector to support domestic production of electric

Found: The UK has attributes that make it an attractive place to produce electric vehicles, batteries and other

Found: The UK is already a net exporter of raw materials for EV (Electric Vehicles) batteries to the US and

Found: A trade agreement focused on strategic industries such as renewable energy components, electric vehicles

Found: This relies on easy access to electric vehicles batteries, the majority of which are made from lithium

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many UK-based companies produce batteries for electric vehicles; and what is their collective capacity.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

AESC currently has a 1.9GWh facility operational in Sunderland. The UK has a further 52GWh per annum battery capacity committed – 12GWh from the AESC Gigafactory under construction in Sunderland and a further 40GWh from the planned Agratas Gigafactory. This is over half the capacity needed to meet industry demand forecasts of around 90GWh by 2030.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to boost UK battery production for electric cars.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will create an independent body to set required safety standards for e-bike and e-scooter batteries.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

There are no current plans to establish such a body.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is responsible for the General Product Safety Regulations which set the safety requirements for batteries. OPSS and Local Authority Trading Standards Services already have the powers to remove unsafe products from sale and are using data and intelligence to target unsafe products.

OPSS is prioritising work to understand and tackle the risks of e-bikes and e-scooters and has commissioned research into the safety of lithium-ion batteries. This work will help inform how this issue is tackled in future.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what plans they have to create a new regulatory framework for electric vehicle battery recycling, (2) when such plans will be implemented, (3) whether they will include making "second life" mandatory, and (4) whether they will introduce (a) standardised labelling to facilitate recycling, and (b) a mandatory minimum level of recycled content.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Defra is currently reviewing the existing UK Batteries Regulations, and a consultation is scheduled for the end of 2023. The review is expected to consider a range of measures promoting the recovery, reuse or recycling of all battery chemistry types in line with the waste hierarchy. This includes those batteries found in electric vehicles.

Electric vehicle batteries are no longer viable once they drop below 80% efficiency. By working with the relevant industries and Government departments, the Environment Agency is looking to produce an effective Electric Vehicle Batteries Resource Framework. The framework will look to set out end of waste criteria for electric vehicle batteries when put to second life applications or dismantled to constituent parts for recovery of metals. The main purpose to this framework is to embed the circular economy approach to end of waste for this waste stream.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the report by the Critical Minerals Association entitled Unlocking security of supply, published in March 2023, whether she plans to take steps to increase the rate of recycling for end-of-life EV batteries.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

Our Critical Minerals Refresh, published just this month, reinforces the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy, and sets out a refreshed approach to delivering resilient critical mineral supply chains. With a focus on the circular economy, our approach includes looking at regulatory ways to promote recycling and recovery. Defra expects to consult on regulations for end-of-life batteries later this year. This will consider measures to promote the recovery, reuse or recycling of all battery chemistry types, including those found in electric vehicles (EVs).

As well as £541m for battery research and development through the Faraday Battery Challenge, we are also funding the £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme, including a centre on technology metals.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the number of jobs that are supported (a) directly and (b) indirectly by gigafactories.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Government continues to work with industry to unlock private investment in our EV supply chain via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). Securing gigafactories is a priority, with further targeted investment in battery materials, electric drive units and hydrogen fuel cells required.

ATF funding has already helped secure major investments in the UK, including Envision AESC’s investment in July 2022 to create a gigafactory in Sunderland. This will support 750 new jobs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on proposals for a gigafactory in Coventry.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The Secretary of State regularly meets with the Chancellor to discuss a range of issues.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to make the UK an attractive place for automotive companies to invest and build gigafactories.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Government continues to work with investors through our Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to progress plans to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK, with securing gigafactories a priority.

We continue to work closely with the sector including through the Automotive Council to bring together knowledge and understanding of automotive industry issues.

As part of our commitment to strengthening the UK’s competitiveness, the Government recently announced further measures to reduce the long-term electricity price gap that exists between UK Energy Intensive Industries and competitor countries.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 155105, what level of battery production in GWh will the gigafactory in Sunderland produce per year.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

Government support via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) helped secure major investments in the UK, including the £1 billion electric vehicle hub in Sunderland in partnership between Nissan and Envision AESC.

Envision AESC has stated the facility will have a capacity of 12GWh. Actual production capacity will be a matter for the company.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for the difference in the number of gigafactories in (a) the UK and (b) Germany.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Government supports an industry-led transition to Net Zero and it continues to work with global investors via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to unlock private investment to build an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain.

Securing gigafactories is a priority. The Faraday Institution has estimated that UK demand for batteries is expected to reach around 100 GWh per annum by 2030. The ATF has already helped secure a gigafactory investment in the UK, including Envision AESC’s £450m investment in July 2022 to create a gigafactory in Sunderland. The ATF will place the UK at the forefront of the transition to zero emission vehicles.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to support and fund the construction of 3 gigafactories in the UK.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Government supports an industry-led transition to Net Zero and it continues to work with global investors via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to unlock private investment to build an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain.

Securing gigafactories is a priority. The Faraday Institution has estimated that UK demand for batteries is expected to reach around 100 GWh per annum by 2030. The ATF has already helped secure a gigafactory investment in the UK, including Envision AESC’s £450m investment in July 2022 to create a gigafactory in Sunderland. The ATF will place the UK at the forefront of the transition to zero emission vehicles.