Green machines will put North in the driving seat

Jul 21 2009 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

The global market for low-carbon vehicles is potentially worth of billions of pounds, and the North East is leading the charge to be at its centre. Peter McCusker reports.

THE region's fast-growing green transport sector and related industries will get a huge boost as the North East becomes the UK’s second Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) and the first to specialise in low-carbon vehicles.

We already have one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric vehicles – Smith Electric Vehicles, part of the Tanfield Group in Washington – and Liberty Electric Cars announced early this year that it is building a £30m factory, creating 250 jobs in Cramlington.

Nissan’s decision to site its European Centre of Excellence for Batteries alongside its existing car plant, creating 350 jobs, also announced yesterday, adds grist to this mill.

The LCEA is designed to ensure we stay at the forefront of the race to create a long-term, viable hub for electric car making and should provide opportunities for scores of North East businesses, and comes as the Confederation of British Industry in the North East steps up its Great North Revolution to back new green technology in the region.

Alongside regional development agency One North East, the CBI wants to ensure our economy is positioned for the technological changes that lie ahead, with low-carbon transport being identified as a cornerstone of the region’s economic future.

Sarah Green, regional director CBI North East, said: “This is great news for the North East, the region’s car makers and the many firms involved in the supply chain. This makes the plans and strategies around the Great North Revolution real.

“The level of investment involved marks a real turning point for the North East, and businesses across the region are working together to make this happen.”