West Midlands Gigafactory appoints ex-Lotus engineering boss
The West Midlands Gigafactory has appointed former Lotus board member and engineering director Richard Moore as one of its key battery experts.
A public joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport, the West Midlands Gigafactory has the potential to become Britain’s largest cell factory, creating 60GWh per year through sustainable energy sources.
It’s already in ‘advanced discussions’ with global battery manufacturers about a site, with battery production for electric vehicles set to start in 2025. The site would create up to 6,000 direct jobs – and thousands more in the supply chain are likely, too.
As well as his role with Lotus where he was in charge of engineering the firm’s sports cars, including the new electric Evija hypercar, Moore has worked as chief engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, helping to lead the electrification engineering programme for many of the firm’s products, including the I-Pace.
He said: “I am hugely excited to be joining the team behind the West Midlands Gigafactory. This is a significantly important project for the region, the British automotive and domestic energy industries and the UK as we transition to an electrified economy.
“I hope to be able to use my full experience to bring the project to fruition, with strategic advice and assistance in the ongoing discussions with the global battery industry.”
More than 400 specialist automotive and battery technology companies currently call the West Midlands their home, with over a third of the UK’s automotive employees in the area.
