In the UK we have a wealth of talent and skills to compare with any country in the world. So the question we have to ask is, "Why are we always playing catch up"?
Expensive land, poor infrastructure, anti-intellectualism, anti-engineer, often hard to get finance (usually SMEs need to borrow against property, finance rarely based on the idea or company). No industrial policy. Short-termism. Rentierism mentality.
Bad middle/top management (some risk-averse, others claiming can-do attitude is enough, even if really daft ideas), pro-beancounter, farming subsidies/deals through old-boys network/corruption (I hope British Volt isn't one of them).
I agree, UK, has invented so much, but whether wartime computing, lead in jet airliners, 80s computing (huge number of kids with programming knowledge), it all gets squandered, rarely supported. USA goes all out to support own companies & squash competitors (Cisco/Huawei, farming).
I would do a lot of due diligence on BV if investing or supplying services on credit. Might all be fine, but well worth checking. I wish them the best of luck but I can't see what competitive advantages the UK has for battery production. If located near Scottish wind power, could use excess, but I don't think the Scot>Eng interconnects are good enough. It looks like Blythe may have been chosen due to closeness of Nissan and Norwegian electricity -
en - North Sea Link Apart from lithium (Cornwall?). We don't have special access to minerals. UK has probably got good research in universities, some engineering at/near Nissan. Exporting is uncertain. Often which region/country dominates an industry comes down to a solid comparative advantage. I don't see one, but would like to. The more renewables, cell production in the UK, the better.
Previous chairman/founder has left.
The co-founder and chairman of Britishvolt has quit after it emerged he was convicted for tax fraud in Sweden more than 20 years ago, just days after the
cardealermagazine.co.uk
But now the firm’s chairman and co-founder, Lars Carlstrom, 55, has stepped down after it emerged he was sentenced to eight months in prison and handed a four-year trading ban for tax fraud in the late 1990s. This was later reduced by a higher court to a conditional sentence and 60 hours community service.
He was later accused of acting negligently by Sweden’s tax authority over a separate unpaid tax bill for one of his companies in 2011.
The Swede also has links to Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov, the former Portsmouth FC owner who skipped English bail five years ago.
Following enquiries by the PA news agency, Carlstrom announced he would be stepping down with immediate effect, saying: ‘I don’t wish to become a distraction.’
He added: ‘I am aware of this minor allegation, that stems from over 25 years ago. Subsequently I have had endorsement from the Swedish government.
‘It has always been my intention to pass on the chairmanship of Britishvolt, once the company has been established.
‘Given the crucial importance of Britishvolt’s mission to put the UK at the forefront of the global battery industry, I don’t wish to become a distraction so I am stepping aside with immediate effect. Britishvolt will announce a new chairman shortly.’
First 2 don't have wikipedia entries -
Meet The Team - Britishvolt
. Shhh though don’t want too many southerners seeing the light and moving away from the smoke. Bloody eastenders is already polluting the “proper” English language up here
