Vauxhall’s parent company Stellantis has today announced that it is investing £100 million into the Ellesmere Port factory, turning it into a pure electric vehicle facility. Those vehicles will be the electric versions of the Stellantis small van family: the Vauxhall Combo-e, the Peugeot e-Partner and the Citroen e-Berlingo.
These will be built as light commercial vehicles (vans) and passenger models, and represent a post-Brexit lifeline for a factory that has been building Vauxhall cars since 1964. In fact, 2022 will be the 60th anniversary of Ellesmere Port’s construction, and in that time it’s been home to the Viva, Chevette and Astra.
To be clear, when the revamped plant opens it will build only electric vehicles, and there is ambition for the whole production process to be carbon neutral by the middle of this decade.
What is going to happen to Ellesmere Port?
Working with the Unite Union and the workforce, with support from local and national government in the UK, the Ellesmere Port plant is due to undergo a substantial transformation ahead of the new models going into production.
The £100 million Stellantis is investing will go towards a new body shop, an upgraded general assembly area and the creation of an on-site battery pack assembly area. The site area is due to undergo ‘compression’, however, and there is still concern from some quarters that to truly ensure its future survival, Ellesmere Port really needs a battery manufacturing facility as well.
Currently, the batteries will still be made elsewhere, even if the packs are put together in the UK. A consultation to add a new UK parts distribution centre to Ellesmere Port is set to start shortly, though.
Work will also begin on the factory’s future carbon-neutral aim right away, starting with investigation into solar and wind farms to make it self-sufficient for electricity.
What electric vehicles will be built at Ellesmere Port?
Those electric vans come as cargo versions and passenger vehicles, and are electrified versions of the 2021 Parkers Small Van of the Year award winners.
The light commercial vehicle (LCV) van models are called:
The passenger versions are called:
- > Citroen e-Berlingo
- > Peugeot e-Rifter
- > Vauxhall Combo-e Life
The Vauxhall models are sold as Opels in Europe. The engineering that underpins all of these vehicles is identical, but they have brand specific design elements on the outside and inside – the most dramatically different being the Peugeots, which feature the firm’s ‘i-Cockpit’ interior styling with high-set instruments and a smaller steering wheel.
Fiat is also part of Stellantis, and it’s possible that a future small electric Fiat will also join the vehicles produced at Ellesmere Port at some stage – though this is still very much not confirmed.
Toyota also sells a version of the same vans (built by Stellantis on its behalf) and a Proace City Electric has been confirmed. Whether it will be built in the UK or elsewhere remains to be seen.
Full details of each of the vans can be found in our individual news stories, but the headlines are a 100kW (136hp) electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by a 50kWh battery pack mounted under the load floor. The passenger versions have up to seven seats.
An 80% charge is said to be possible in as little as 30 minutes (using a powerful 100kW charger), while the WLTP driving range is said to be 174 miles.
Experience with other Stellantis electric vehicles, including larger vans, suggests that range may be a little optimistic – but we still expect these new models to be an excellent solution for anyone searching for a small 100% electric van.
Production of these battery electric vehicles (BEVs) starts in the same Spanish factory that builds the petrol and diesel versions later in 2021, before expanding into Ellesmere Port for the electric variants only in 2022. Stellantis believes it will need to do this to keep up with demand.
Is Ellesmere Port the only remaining Vauxhall factory in the UK?
No – Vauxhall still builds vans, including Peugeot and Citroen vans, at its factory in Luton.
Talking about the news, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares had this to say about Vauxhall’s factory future in the UK: ‘Performance is always the trigger for sustainability and this £100million investment demonstrates our commitment to the UK and to Ellesmere Port.
‘I particularly want to thank our highly skilled, dedicated workforce for their patience and contribution; we never let them down. Equally, I want to thank our partners the Unite Union for their open mind set and strong cooperation and, of course, the UK Government for their continued support.
‘Producing battery electric vehicles here will support clean, safe and affordable mobility for the citizens. Since 1903 Vauxhall has manufactured vehicles in Britain and we will continue to do so.’
Also read:
>> Future electric vans – the electric vans coming soon
>> Best electric vans you can buy in the UK now
>> The Parkers guide to electric vans
