JLR Announces £500 Million Factory Overhaul to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Transition

Image Credit: Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has unveiled ambitious plans to invest £500 million in revamping its historic Halewood facility in Merseyside to electrify all its brands by 2030. This transformation is set to significantly impact the company's carbon footprint, aiming to slash 40,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the site by 2031.

A key component of this overhaul is the installation of 18,000 solar panels, expected to generate 8,600GWh of electricity, covering 10% of Halewood's energy needs. This move aligns with JLR's broader strategy to source over one-third of its energy from self-generated renewable sources.

In addition to the solar upgrade, JLR will relocate thousands of refurbished pieces of equipment from its Castle Bromwich facility to Halewood. This will include everything from manufacturing robots to automated vehicles, joining equipment, and complete assembly lines, all contributing to a projected £16 million in savings.

This transformation follows recent improvements at Halewood, such as the addition of solar-powered car parks and the installation of a hydrogen-enabled boiler in the site's paint shop, which alone is expected to cut carbon emissions by 565 tonnes annually.

These efforts are part of JLR's ongoing decarbonization strategy, which has already resulted in a nearly 25% reduction in operational emissions over the past four years.

"At JLR Halewood, we're driving transformation through circular principles: use less, extend the life of what we have, and reuse wherever possible," said Reuben Chorley, JLR's sustainable industrial operations director. "By repurposing equipment from other sites, we're not just cutting costs - we're making smarter, more sustainable choices.

"We're also ramping up energy efficiency and embracing renewables, with exciting plans to integrate hydrogen into our operations. With cutting-edge technology and a highly skilled team, Halewood is set to be a game-changer in our journey to net zero."

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has also announced plans to allocate £20 million annually to its Future Skills Programme, a key initiative to prepare its workforce for the electric future. Central to this effort will be a new training centre at Halewood focused on High-Voltage Training, specifically designed to equip workers with the skills needed for battery assembly.

So far, nearly 25,000 JLR employees have completed specialized sustainability training, and over 500 staff members have participated in tailored manufacturing sessions. Additionally, an advanced training programme dedicated to circularity is set to launch by the end of the year.

This update follows almost a year after JLR opened its £250 million EV test and development centre in Coventry. It is a significant step in the company's push to release nine fully electric luxury car models by 2030. JLR has also secured its place as one of the first clients for Tata Group's Agratas, a new "multi-billion-pound" battery factory in Somerset, further solidifying its commitment to the electric vehicle market.

The news of JLR's £500 million investment in the Halewood site comes as the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reported a 25.9% decline in battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicle production last month. As a result, the share of electrified vehicles in the UK's overall output dropped to 29.6%. However, this decrease is expected to be temporary, with production poised to rebound as new electric models enter the market.

The auto industry body also noted an eight percent drop in UK car production last month, attributed to factories winding down the output of critical models and retooling their production lines to accommodate the shift towards electric vehicle manufacturing.