Ɖ Gardịn vy on Britn’z ilectric-viycl inḍstri: slo-mośn carcraś
(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 13 Nov. 2022)
Ɖ struglz v a flagśp baṭrimańfacćrr pônt t a wîdr mleiz
Súnde 13 Nvmbr 2022
Rlịr ɖs yir Boris Jonsn pridictd ɖt a pland £3.8bn giġfacṭri in Blaiɖ, bilt bî a start-up cumṗni cōld Britiśvolt, wd sn b “at ɖ hlm v a globl grīn industrịl reṿluśn”. Az wɖ so mni v Mr Jonsn’z būsṭriś clemz rgardñ Britn’z jrni t net ziro, facts on ɖ grǎnd hv sigṇli feld t cīp pes wɖ súni reṭric. Britiśvolt’s vast sait on ɖ norʈ-īst cǒst rmenz a mudi fīld. Ɖs munʈ, hvñ feld t pswed ɖ ny biznișecṛtri, Grant Śaps, t īz its caśflo probḷmz, ɖ cumṗni fîndz itslf mor or les brouc n p fr seil.
T pt ɖs dpresñ stori in its propr pspctiv, it hz bn esṭmetd ɖt 41 giġfacṭriz r îɖr oṗreśnl or pland in wstn Yṛp, cmperd wɖ jst ʈri in Britn (n ɖt’s f Britiśvolt z opṭmisticli includd). Guvnmnts in Jrṃni, Frans n elsẃr hv spent biłnz v yroz t atract līdñ baṭrimańfacćrrz, hu wl b funḍmntl t 21st-snć̣ri carpṛdux́n. Ɖ stṛtījic lojic at wrc z nt dificlt t grasp: in ɖ fyćr, mańfacćrrz wl b best ẃr axes t baṭriz z locl n stretfwd; a fŭli fuñṣ́nñ dmestic s’plîćen wl olso b sefgardd fṛm xtrnl śocs, n jeṇret jobz t compnset fr ɖoz lost in ɖ trnziśn awe fṛm petṛl n dīzl.
A viźn v ɖs jônd-up fyćr cn b glimst in Swīdn, ẃr Norʈvolt – a stet-bact baṭri start-up ɖt hz bcm wn v Yṛp’s bigist mańfacćrrz – hz partnrd wɖ Volvo, Volkswagen n BMW. Bt a similrli proactiv industrịl straṭji apirz t b bynd ɖ preznt guvnmnt. Planz r in ples fr a ny giġfacṭri srvñ Nisan in Sunḍḷnd, bt Britn nīdz p t sevn mor bî 2030. Ɖ fundñ s’port on ofr fṛm Ẃîthōl hz bn wǒḟli inadiqt, az s’xesiv ministrz hv sat on ɖer handz.
Ɖs laissez-faire imoḅlizm hz bcm an xistnśl ʈret t ɖ fyćr v ɖ dmestic car inḍstri. Tata Grūp v India, ẃć ǒnz ɖ YC’z līdñ carmańfacćrr, Jağar Landrovr, z b’livd t b mulñ a reskbid fr Britiśvolt, bt hz rportidli bn pt of so far bî ɖ lac v guvnmntbacñ. Ɖr r firz ɖt wɖt gd rīznz t foc̣s on Britn, Jağar Landrovr me śift fyćr carpṛdux́n t its plant in Sḷvacia. Mnẃl, ɖr r uɖr sînz ɖt a tipñpônt z aproćñ. BMW z trnsfŕñ pṛdux́n v its Mini IVz t Ćîna. Ɖ YC ilectric-van start-up Arîvl z dcampñ t ɖ YS, ẃr it cn tec advantij v ny fînanśl insntivz ofrd bî ɖ Bîdn admiṇstreśn.
Britiśvolt, a ʈri-yir-old start-up wɖ no xistñ product n no car mcr on bōrd, śd nvr hv bn tōct p so xtraṿgntli bî Mr Jonsn in ɖ frst ples. Nvɖles, ɖ cumṗni’z “red wōl” lceśn simḅlîzd hops ɖt ɖ eṇji trnziśn – hvr ćaḷnjñ – cd b ɖ caṭlist fr an ic̣nomic rnesns in ǎr post-industrịl rījnz. Ɖt z a prîz wrʈ fîtñ fr. Bt az invstmnt dsiźnz r tecn ẃć wl dtrmin ɖ śep v ɖ globl car inḍstri fr decedz t cm, its rîz n fōl iḷstrets ɖt ɖ guvnmnt z simpli felñ t d its job.
Fr ɖ sićueśn t b trnd arnd, car mcrz n ɖ bigist baṭricumṗniz nīd t si a chiṛnt industrịl straṭji in ples – wn in ẃć ɖ stet hz scin in ɖ gem n ofrz sirịs insntivz t invst. Ɖs z ol ɖ mor vîtl gvn cntinywñ Brexit hedwindz n endlis p’liticl uphivl. Bfr it z tù lêt, Mr Śaps mst rec̣gnîz ɖ lūmñ carcraś in ɖ cuntri’z flagśp mańfacćrñinḍstri n tec b’letd ax́n t avrt it.
