Plugging into the future: electric van production begins at Ellesmere Port

Investment by Stellantis has turned the Vauxhall plant into the UK's first dedicated to producing electric vehicles at scale

In nearly 60 years of making cars Ellesmere Port's Vauxhall factory had come close to the end several times, said the Unite union convener John Cooper, standing beside the body of an electric van on the production line. Last-minute negotiations saved the plant each time, but it was a close-run thing.

Things have changed now: on Thursday the site began production as the UK's first factory dedicated purely to producing electric vehicles at scale. It is a landmark moment in the shift away from fossil fuels for the British automotive industry.