zirkus

0 posts0 participants0 posts today

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayYou may recall a previous post about the problems at <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> start-up <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a> (backer not completely paid bid price; unpaid wages etc.). Now a former employee has lodged a statutory demand for back pay, which if not paid in the next 21 days will likely trigger bankruptcy proceedings. Its not a good look for the UK's attempt to be serious about investment in the <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/greentransition" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#greentransition</a> - it needs to me more than a seeming project to merely farm state-support (as many suspected it was!)

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayQ. what *is* going on at <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Britishvolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Britishvolt</a>? Having been bought out of administration by an Australian entrepreneur, now it seems bills are unpaid & staff have not received wages for months.Now staff suspect that owner David Collard is knowingly trading while insolvent (which can lead to fines & being banned from being a UK director).Moreover, Collard has yet to completely pay the administrators for the firm...If this is the future of a UK <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/batteries" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#batteries</a> manufacturing sector then obscurity beckons

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayAnother month, another announcement of an <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/automotive" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#automotive</a> <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> plant, this time in <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Bridgewater" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Bridgewater</a>, Somerset, to be built by <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Tata" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Tata</a> for Jaguar Land Rover <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/electriccars" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#electriccars</a>. There's the promise of a big chunk of <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/taxpayers" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#taxpayers</a> support, and these is also a by-election there tomorrow (which is why the news has surfaced today, no doubt).The Q. is will Tata make a better of job of getting this off the blocks than <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Britishvolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Britishvolt</a> did?(Meanwhile the <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Tories" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Tories</a> are also offering Tata Steel cash elsewhere....)

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayThe strategic positioning of countries with an eye on the future expansion of <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/electricvehicles" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#electricvehicles</a> continues:<a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Indonesia" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Indonesia</a> (with the largest <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Nickel" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Nickel</a> reserves in the world) has banned export of raw nickel with the intent of 'encouraging' the setting up of <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> plants in the country.Following on from the competition over the supply of <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/lithium" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#lithium</a> we can see the shape of the global <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/supplychain" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#supplychain</a> for electric vehicles is going to be of some interest to Govt.s; so perhaps another go for <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a>?

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayHow much is a <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> manufacturing plant worth to the UK?Well, the (new) owners of <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a> are likely to be surprised to find they've undervalued themselves....Or at least in <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Tata" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Tata</a>'s eyes they have: Tata (owner of Jaguar Land Rover) is, according to the FT 'demanding' £500mn (!!) of state aid in various forms, not to locate its new battery plant in Spain....its almost like Tata saw the £85mn the Govt. had put aside for battery support & thought we should leave a bit on the table!

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayThe shape of <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/electricvehicles" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#electricvehicles</a> sales... and the (global) context for <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a>'s 'rescue';Sales (globally) are certainly going up but how long before this rise hit the problems of a lagging <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/infrastructure" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#infrastructure</a> for <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/charging" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#charging</a>?Certainly in the UK e-car owners are already have <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/rangeanxiety" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#rangeanxiety</a> & unreliable provision of (fast) chargers.At present, over half of all pubic charging points are in China (which maps onto sales), but Europe lags.... and the Uk, well of course, our provision is 'uneven'!

Emeritus Prof Christopher May<a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a> redux?An Australian firm (with, one might presume, good access to Australian <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/lithium" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#lithium</a>) has bought British Volt out of administration - that's the good news...The bad news is that the buyer is essentially a start-up (a special purpose firm) yet to have constructed a plant or brought a major project to fruition... so lots of big promises, but looks like we may just be in for more farming of Govt. support?British Volt cynics will definitely think the latter!

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayHow do the parasites from <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/financialservices" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#financialservices</a> profit from others' work? You will be aware that <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a> has gone into administration (as a buyer is sought).So, after two years of taking £500k per month for putting in place a <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/business" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#business</a> advice team, <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/Ernst" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#Ernst</a>&Young have now had themselves appointed as administrators (earning themselves further fees)This also ensures that for any outstanding fees they are a priority creditor (as administrator).a clear conflict of interest!h/t FT

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayWhy does there seem to be some difficulty in the development of a 'mature' <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> sector?... there may be particular reasons for the difficulties faced by <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a> & others but Robin Harding (FT) suggests some structural economic issues under recognised by <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/investors" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#investors</a> & <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/entrepreneurs" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#entrepreneurs</a>:scarce inputs large scale capital requirement It business-to-business with no real brand elementthe analogue is the <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/chemestry" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#chemestry</a> sector not <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/manufacturing" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#manufacturing</a>, hence the miss-steps if this isn't appreciated!

Emeritus Prof Christopher MayWhatever went on at <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a>, the UK's lack of projected <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> capacity says something about our continuing failure to organise in sectors that involve anything other than opportunities for <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/rentiers" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#rentiers</a> (some would argue BritishVolt's problems stem from its existence as a farm for taxpayer support)... we need to invest in the future not in our elites' pleasures & profits<a href="https://zirk.us/tags/electriccar" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#electriccar</a> <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/greentransport" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#greentransport</a> <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/greenenergy" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#greenenergy</a>

Emeritus Prof Christopher MaySadly the cynics who thought <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/BritishVolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#BritishVolt</a> the <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/battery" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#battery</a> firm was merely a scheme to capture state-aid & other support, and would never produce a battery have been proved correct as it collapses into administration... prefigured by a refusal of a tranche of state-aid last year. If the UK's 'dream' of establishing more capacity in <a href="https://zirk.us/tags/batteries" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#batteries</a> is to be fulfilled its unlikely to be in Northumberland...

Recent searches

Search options

Administered by:

Server stats:

#britishvolt