Rivian eyeing £1 billion manufacturing plant in the UK – Report

American electric vehicle startup, Rivian is looking to make massive investments in setting up a factory in the UK, at least two British media houses have reported this year. According to Financial Times, British ministers have offered Rivian some lucrative road and railway facilities in an attempt to secure a deal with Rivian with the price being upwards of £1 billion. 

In August 2021, Sky News reported that Rivian was speaking to the UK government about constructing a manufacturing facility on local soil. Rivian is currently backed by Silicon Valley giants such as Amazon and even Ford, and has constantly been raising funds from investors. In early August 2021, the startup raised $2.5 billion. According to the previous report, talks with the authorities were held to build complete vehicles rather than just a battery plant. However, with the negotiations still on, a plan for a Gigafactory instead could come up. The previous report had said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is privy to the progress made with Rivian and has been taking a keen interest. 

Sky News reported that the company had identified a 616-acre campus called Gravity in Bristol. It would be Rivian’s first production facility outside the States and provide the manufacturer with much better reach in Europe and the UK. Aside from this, there are already many companies looking at building gigafactories in the UK, including Samsung and LG, according to the report. All of this comes as the UK continually looks to shift to an all-electric market by 2035.

There is also a growing fear that the UK’s auto market is declining, with Honda shutting its Swindon plant back in 2019. The Rivian deal, on the other hand, much like Nissan’s recent factory improvement announcement and Stellantis’ secured Ellesmere Port facility, will be a shot in the arm for the sector in the country.

Rivian eyeing Somerset for its vehicle plant – Report 

The Financial Times reports that the British officials have held talks with Rivian to set up the factory in the Gravity business park near Bridgwater in Somerset. It is a 635-acre site and is currently being developed by the Salamanca Group.

Apart from the location near Bridgwater, the British government intends to build a new exit off the M5, get a decommissioned railway line running back up again and offer some training facilities, to sweeten the deal for Rivian. However, the UK is not the only one engaged with Rivian, and it is understood that Siberia and another European country are also wooing the American brand.  The factory in the UK might boast of a battery factory and an assembly plant. However, this has not been finalised yet as per the Financial Times.

Deliveries of Rivian’s R1T electric pickup in the United States is expected to start in March 2022, as per the information shared by customers on Rivian forums.

Featured image: Rivian