About 20 firefighters, some wearing breathing apparatus, were called to a fire at a test facility near Jaguar Land Rover’s Midlands headquarters in January. A machine welding a prototype battery for its bestselling Range Rover was the cause of the blaze, which the carmaker described as “minor”.
Battery fires are not uncommon, particularly in testing, but it was a reminder of the perils facing carmakers as they try to switch to electric power after a century of the combustion engine. It was also a reminder of how far Britain’s carmaking champion has fallen behind in that global battery race.
