Amazon-backed Rivian could be building Gigafactory in UK

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is negotiating with the British government to build a new giant factory near Bristol.

The company, which is also backed by Amazon and Ford, is in talks with ministers about the construction of a plant that could include a big state support package.

Britain is facing competition from rival proposals from Germany and the Netherlands. However, if Rivian does build a factory in the UK, it would represent another major step towards the country's all-electric revolution that would follow the recent announcements from Nissan and Stellantis, the owner of Vauxhall to invest heavily in the UK.

There have been a few hints that the American brand might be on the verge of something big as Rivian raised another £1.8 billion from investors earlier this month and RJ Scaringe, the company's founder and chief executive, said the latest capital injection would enable it “to scale new vehicle programmes, expand our domestic facility footprint, and fuel international product rollout”.

The talks with ministers are focusing on a facility to manufacture Rivian vehicles, rather than the batteries used to power them.

Rivian is said to have identified Gravity, a 616-acre campus near Bristol, as one potential site for a new manufacturing plant.

Customer deliveries of its highly awaited R1T electric trucks, which will sell from $67,500 (£48,500), are due to begin in the autumn.

Rivian's biggest customer to date is Amazon, which has placed an order for 100,000 EV trucks, production of which is scheduled to start this year.