Vertu Fleet Director, Paul Bamford, was recently invited to tour one of the UK’s most significant new electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure projects: the Agratas battery gigafactory currently under construction at the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset.
Developed by Agratas, the global battery business owned by the Tata Group (parent company of Jaguar Land Rover), the site will be a large-scale EV battery cell manufacturing facility, often referred to as a gigafactory. Once operational, it is expected to produce around 40 GWh of battery cells per year, making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in the UK. Production is planned to begin in 2026–2027, ultimately supporting Jaguar Land Rover’s electric vehicle programme and potentially wider automotive and energy storage markets.
As part of the visit, Paul drove a Defender 110 across the 300+ acre Gravity site, transporting Agratas directors around the development. The challenging, mixed-terrain conditions provided an ideal real-world environment to demonstrate the Defender’s capability, durability, and versatility on a live construction project of national importance.
Beyond showcasing vehicle performance, the visit highlighted the scale of opportunity the project represents. When fully complete, the Agratas gigafactory is expected to employ over 800 people initially, with long-term projections of up to 4,000 skilled jobs, plus further roles across the regional supply chain. Located close to the M5 motorway, the Gravity Smart Campus offers excellent transport links and is set to become a major hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation.
- Land Rover