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BMW, Ford, JLR Mull Joint Battery Plant

BMW, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover are discussing the potential of building a large plant in the U.K. to supply batteries to power each companies’ future hybrid and electric vehicles, reports London's Sunday Times.
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BMW, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover are discussing the potential of building a large plant in the U.K. to supply batteries to power each companies’ future hybrid and electric vehicles, reports London's Sunday Times. The three carmakers declined to comment.

The factory would have the capacity to make batteries for several hundred thousand vehicles per year, according to the newspaper, which cites unnamed company sources. This would put it on par with Tesla Motors Inc.’s so-called “gigafactory” in Nevada that is expected to begin low-volume production in November. The facility aims by 2020 to produce enough cells per year to power 500,000 EVs.

JLR is expected to launch its first all-electric vehicle next year. BMW and Ford already sell EVs in small numbers and plan to introduce additional models in coming years. Ford currently sources lithium-ion batteries for its EVs from LG, while BMW buys them from Samsung.

BMW also is considering opening its own battery plant in Thailand. Construction of that facility could begin as early as next summer.

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