Jaguar Land Rover, Ford & BMW could open shared electric vehicle battery plant

JLR is holding talks with Ford and BMW about building a battery factory for future electric vehicles.

Although in its early stages, it’s believed that Jaguar is keen to get the project started and build its first all-electric car, according to a report published by The Times.

All three companies have plans for their own electric vehicles, and with Tesla currently dominating the electric vehicle market, each is keen to grab its share of the growing demand.

JLR currently doesn’t have an electric vehicle in either its Jaguar or Land Rover ranges, so it doesn’t build its own EV batteries. Ford’s batteries for the Focus Electric are produced in collaboration with a subsidiary of LG, while BMW sources its batteries from Samsung. A joint battery factory between the brands would benefit all three manufacturers.

The plans fit the EV timescale for all three manufacturers. Jaguar is believed to already be developing its first all-electric car, based on the Jaguar F-Pace, although it remains tight-lipped on the model ahead of its unveiling.

Ford has also courted speculation that it will produce an electric model after it blocked Tesla’s attempt to use the ‘Model E’ moniker. The Model E name would be a nod to the Model T, as well as signifying the car’s electric powertrain.

An all-electric BMW i8 is also in the pipeline but will not come to fruition before the current model’s imminent mid-life refresh. BMW and Jaguar’s flirtation with the Formula E race series also signposts the brands’ electric vehicle ambitions.

When contacted for comment, spokesmen from both Jaguar Land Rover and Ford were unable to give any more information on the plans, which they described as "speculation". A BMW spokesman was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.