Scottish Labour reveals plans for electric battery ‘gigafactory’ in manifesto

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has announced plans to build a gigfactory for electric vehicle batteries as part of his election manifesto.

Sarwar said his party’s national focus will be to reduce the need for private car use by revolutionising the delivery of electric vehicles in Scotland.

The manifesto said: “We will explore the possibility of siting a gigafactory in Scotland to build the batteries for electric vehicles and accelerate the creation of charging points, including in less well served areas and for owners who do not have access to a residential charger.”

It added: “There will also need to be a significant expansion of public charging points for electric vehicles to recognise the greater reliance on private cars in rural areas and the longer distances that often need to be travelled.”

Elsewhere in the manifesto, Scottish Labour said it will invest in interest-free Government loans to help more low- and middle-income households to buy electric cars over the next two years.

There are also plans to expand Scotland’s bus network and buy electric buses from domestic manufacturers.

As well as Labour, the Scottish National Party has announced plans to phase out the need for new diesel and petrol cars by 2030 in its manifesto, along with a pledge to remove diesel buses from service by 2023, whilst also spending £120m on zero-emission buses.

The Scottish Conservatives stated that it would develop a nationwide network of chargers by 2025, with plans to launch a new scheme to install them outside flats.

The Scottish Greens have looked to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2026. The Scottish Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, have pledged to expand car-sharing clubs to increase access to electric vehicles.