The Gravity Smart Campus, JLR, Tata & EV Innovation

A smart campus is a place where companies can make a major social, economic and environmental difference. 

In Somerset, the UK’s first giga-scale commercial smart campus, the Gravity Smart Campus is doing exactly that.

Gravity Smart Campus: A blueprint for the future 

Developed by Salamanca Group to epitomise modern, sustainable and digitally agile design, the campus is built on the former site of the Royal Ordnance Factory Bridgwater. 

This factory served for sixty years as a significant production site, during both war and peacetime.

After providing a source of employment and community, local sports teams, social clubs and community events began to flourish around the factory.

Since its founding, it has attracted the interest of leading manufacturers, who want to be part of an active business ecosystem in a modern, convenient environment. 

To date the Gravity Smart Campus has attracted US$5.12bn in FDI, offering unique flexibility and opportunities to manufacturers. 

One manufacturer that has seized the opportunity to establish itself at the Gravity Smart Campus is Jaguar Land Rover, through its sustainable electric battery ‘giga-factory’. 

Tata’s electric gigafactory: Driving UK EV innovation 

It was announced in February of this year that there would be a new electric battery 'giga-factory' at the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater.

Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business is the first and primary occupier on the site. 

Tata Group, the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover, is set to invest over £4bn into the scheme, aiming to create a new hub of electric mobility and renewable storage solutions for the UK and Europe.

“The Tata group is deeply committed to a sustainable future across all of our business,” said N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons.

“Today, I am delighted to announce the Tata group will be setting up one of Europe's largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK.

“Our multi-billion pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, Jaguar Land Rover. 

“With this strategic investment, the Tata group further strengthens its commitment to the UK, alongside our many companies operating here across the technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals and automotive industries." 

The factory is expected to generate thousands of new employment opportunities in Somerset.

The £4 billion, 40 GWh electric vehicle (EV) battery factory is poised to become the largest battery factory in the country. 

By the early 2030s, it will contribute nearly half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity needed for the UK automotive sector.

To harness the gigafactory's transformative potential, Agratas will collaborate with local and regional partners, including Somerset Council, Bridgwater and Taunton College, and the wider Gravity Smart Campus. 

They aim to deliver customised education and training programs in the region.

The factory itself is expected to create up to 4,000 new high-skilled green tech jobs locally, with many thousands more anticipated across the UK supply chain. Construction will be phased, with battery production starting in 2026.

JLR and Tata Motors will be Agratas’ initial customers. Agratas also plans to produce batteries for other applications, including two-wheelers, commercial vehicles, and commercial energy storage solutions.

Currently, the UK has only one operational EV battery plant, located next to Nissan's Sunderland factory. 

JLR continues to exhibit its dedication to EV Manufacturing, recently partnering with energy storage start‑up, Allye Energy, to create a novel Battery Energy Storage System that can provide zero emissions power on the go. 

"Our Reimagine strategy is all about shifting our mindset to consider circular over linear business models,” says François Dossa, Executive Director, Strategy and Sustainability at JLR.

"This battery innovation and partnership with Allye demonstrates the value we can create from repurposing and reusing batteries, such as from our Range Rover vehicles," François continues. 

"We are creating new value from a used commodity that would otherwise go directly to recycling, keeping them in use for longer, and providing innovative renewable energy storage solutions.”

The Gravity Smart Campus will serve as a major site where sustainable innovation like this is pursued, driving more manufacturers to invest in campuses of their own. 

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