Electric van production begins at Ellesmere Port

Stellantis has begun battery electric van production at its Ellesmere Port manufacturing facility in Cheshire, with the first vehicles already rolling off the production line.

The plant will produce the Vauxhall Combo Electric, Opel Combo Electric, Peugeot e-Partner and Citroën e-Berlingo, as well as the Fiat E-Doblo compact van.

It means that Ellesmere Port is the UK’s first EV-only manufacturing plant and the first Stellantis plant globally that is dedicated to electric vehicles, following a £100 million facility transition.

From 2024, Ellesmere Port will also produce a range of electric passenger vehicles across the Stellantis brands, including the Vauxhall Combo Life Electric, Peugeot e-Rifter and Citroen e-Berlingo MPVs.

As part of the plant’s transformation, Ellesmere Port has undergone several key changes, including the addition of a battery assembly shop, upgraded general assembly and relocation of the bodyshop.

It has contributed to a 60 per cent reduction of the total site area for improved energy efficiency and productivity. At 118,000m2, the entire plant is now a similar size to the previous bodyshop.