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Business secretary Lord Mandelson has told Nissan it should start making batteries in the north east to complement the planned introduction of electric car manufacturing in the region.

Speaking today during a visit to Nissan’s Sunderland plant Lord Mandelson said: “It is important to make sure the planning and investment is put in place to take advantage of a future upturn.

"I want to see not just electric cars produced here, I want to see batteries produced here."

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That's easy for Lord Mandelson to say... has he ever been in a factory producing Lithium batteries? I have!  The roof although repaired still had severe scorch marks from the most recent fire. Lithium fires are horrendous in that you cannot tackle them with anything wet as it just makes burn more.

The workers have to work in near zero humidity sections to stop it going up in their faces, no one seemed to care what prolonged work in that environment would do to you as strictly speaking it wasn't actually toxic. It will be impossible in this country to produce safely and competitively compared to the lax health and safety in China. Non starter.

Just out of interest, in the article were they not looking at making them in Japan? they will have similar (I would imagine) health and saftey to us in this country.

Furthermore, you must be able to use lots of robots and I know this cuts down the number of jobs, some are better then none.

Finally, instead of Mandy commenting on "lets get this firm to build a plant here using technology they have developed elsewhere".....why is Mandy not trying to find some UK tech. firms to partner in the development?......why is he not out looking for UK tech. firms that are developing such technology and assisting with introductions and funding etc (of course tech. funding coming from a central tech. funding pot open to all companies)....

Why is Mandy not putting up special "bounty" prizes i.e. like the "X" Prize in the USA i.e. for UK firm that can invent X battery.......why is it he is happy to tag on others technology without first asking the question "why is the UK not in this tech. and what can I do to assist and assist all tech. companies".......instead of going for "jobs hand outs" where is the backing for home grown firms?....the UK gov. needs to pull there fingers out!

 

The Apprentice:

The workers have to work in near zero humidity sections to stop it going up in their faces, no one seemed to care what prolonged work in that environment would do to you as strictly speaking it wasn't actually toxic. It will be impossible in this country to produce safely and competitively compared to the lax health and safety in China. Non starter.

Batteries are heavy and expensive to ship though, this may make the costs slightly more feasible. If they are going to start productioin in France then there's no justifiable reason it couldn't be here instead. (other than the huge loan the French are giving Renault?)

It also depends on who will use more of them i.e. I suspect Renault will make more cars that are fitted with them....thus you have transportation cost to consider and exchange rate/any import/export aspects..... 

The Apprentice:

Lithium fires are horrendous in that you cannot tackle them with anything wet as it just makes burn more.

Quite true....when working with SOME cell chemistries. I'm getting increasingly annoyed with the lack of coverage of battery technology - the automotive press has a duty to get more educated about the various chemistries that are being developed.

Referring to 'lithium batteries' is like talking about a car that take fuel in 'liquid form' - it could be LPG, gasoline, diesel, bioethanol, hydrogen etc.... Lithium is a catch-all and isn't specific enough to make any statement about. There are a number of companies - of which one in the USA called Valence Technology is the leader in terms of units distributed - developing batteries that use SAFE and reliable lithium iron phosphate chemistries (and in the future lithium iron vanadium phosphate).

Volatile temperatures for lithium cobalt chemistries, such as those used in most laptops etc., are about 150-degrees. For these new, safer chemistries, it's about 800-degrees.

" $1.1bn (£750k) "

Pound hits a new high against the dollar?  ;)

I could not agree more sirwilliam, the motoring press should give them and all tech. firms (in this space - assoicated to automotive) air time (as it were); I appreciate that some tech. is confidential, but you should tell "autocar" about these firms and then hopefully they can then do articles etc.....I think it would be fantastic and whatsmore hopefully some of the firms will be UK owned!! but totally agree, more coverage should be given to tech firms and UK owned tech. firms. 

The difference between what Mandy would like to see and what we will see is almost as great as the difference between who I would like to go to bed with and who I actually go to bed with. I used to run factories making Li Ion batteries and can tell you that it is not just the Far East that makes them. However, the scale of this venture is unlikely to attract the kind of investment that will be required, especially with the bank's current attitude. Nissan will have to buy from a global business, which no doubt will already have preferences for where it wishes to base it's manufacturing business. And guess what, the UK will not be anywhere near the top of that list. Dream on Mandy.

P.S. Suggested caption for the photo: 'Will someone get those bolts in quickly. I can't hold this all day'.