West Midlands Gigafactory joint venture has appointed battery industry technology expert Richard Moore to spearhead its strategy and global contact with leading cell manufacturers.
Moore, who takes on the role of West Midlands Gigafactory Battery Expert, has more than 20 years of experience in the industry and was previously a board member and Executive Engineering Director of Lotus, where he led the engineering of all sports cars, including the Evija electric hypercar.
Previous high-profile industry roles include Chief Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover where he led the electrification engineering for propulsion systems across all Jaguar and Land Rover product programmes, including the Jaguar I-PACE, the company’s first all-electric vehicle.
In these roles, Moore has worked with closely with Chinese battery manufacturers, including CATL and BYD.
The 60GWh per annum West Midlands Gigafactory near Coventry could become Britain’s largest cell factory.
It is a public private joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport and is already in advanced discussions with global battery manufacturers to occupy the site which can be production ready from 2025 to begin supplying high-tech batteries for electric vehicles.
Moore 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.”
Mike Murray, West Midlands Gigafactory Project Director, “We are extremely excited with the progress that the West Midlands Gigafactory has already made and the appointment of Richard is a crucial step in our journey as we get closer to identifying a future occupier.”