Comment: Car factory can power ahead

Jul 24 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

THERE is something very fitting about the idea that Ellesmere Port could become the unofficial home of the electric car.

It would be ironic indeed if an area so well known for its heavy industry went on to manufacture a product that could possibly ease some of the world’s pollution problems.

Certainly, if General Motors gets its way, then it would appear the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port could be turning out 22,000 electric models a year within the decade.

The concept is some way off becoming a reality – the deal has yet to be struck with the Government, but local politicians are backing the scheme.

Ellesmere Port MP Andrew Miller has even asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown to meet the company to discuss electric car production with Vauxhall.

This, it seems, is more than simple kite-flying; it is a scheme that could ensure the future of the Vauxhall factory for years to come. Of course, this is not the only “green” scheme in the car industry’s pipeline when it comes to the North West: Land Rover is also looking to build a more environmentally-friendly 4x4 at its Halewood factory.

Unions are waiting to learn more about the potential implications for Ellesmere Port, but senior management from GM have apparently met the Prime Minister at the London International Motor Show to informally broach the possibilities and show off the Chevrolet Volt electric car.

The Volt is due to be launched in America by 2010 and in the UK and Europe by late 2011 or early 2012, and could cost around £20,000. Who knows? It could become the fleet car of choice for business across the region – so long as the Government meets the request for a network of re-powering points across the UK.

There is no doubt that motoring cannot continue as it has in the past; the rising cost of fuel, concerns over supplies and the growing impact of pollution on our planet means that gas-guzzling vehicles will soon be consigned to history.