IT remains full speed ahead for an Ellesmere Port factory's future of electric vehicle manufacturing, despite the Prime Minister's watering down of eco targets.

Last week PM Rishi Sunak came under fire for cutting and/or delaying a number of green initiatives, which included a delay on the incoming ban of new cars and vans running solely on petrol or diesel in the UK from 2030 to 2035.

Many car manufacturers have already made firm commitments to dates when they will have fully zero-emission cars, and among those is Stellantis, which operates the Ellesmere Port Vauxhall plant.

Thanks to a £100 million investment by Stellantis, the future of the former Vauxhall car manufacturing site was secured, and electric vans such as the Vauxhall Combo Electric, Opel Combo Electric, Peugeot e-Partner, Citroen e-Berlingo and Fiat E-Doblo are rolling off the production line.

From next year, the plant will also return to manufacturing family cars, such as the Vauxhall Combo Life Electric, Peugeot e-Rifter and Citroën ë-Berlingo MPVs [multi-purpose vehicle].

At the time, Stellantis Ellesmere Port plant director Diane Miller said: "The start of electric vehicle production at Ellesmere Port signals a bright future for the plant, ensuring it will continue to manufacture vehicles for many years to come.

"With Vauxhall’s long history of UK manufacturing, it’s especially fitting that the first electric model to roll off Ellesmere Port’s production line is a Combo Electric, whilst the welcome addition of the Fiat E-Doblo to the plant is a positive reflection of increasing electric vehicle [EV] demand.

"Stellantis is committed to working with the Government to ensure the UK automotive industry remains competitive for producing electric vehicles for the long-term.”

Now Stellantis has confirmed it was prepared to be an EV-only firm even in advance of the Government's initial 2030 goal.

A spokesman for Stellantis said it remained ‘committed to achieving 100 per cent zero-emission new car and van sales in the UK and Europe by 2030’. It added that it would move to electric sales ‘ahead of current legislation’, with Fiat becoming an EV-only firm by 2027 and Vauxhall by 2028.

They added: “Clarity is required from Governments on important legislation, especially environmental issues that impact society as a whole.”

Mr Sunak insisted the UK was already ahead of allies in reducing emissions and could not impose “unacceptable costs” on British families.

“The risk here to those of us who care about reaching net zero, as I do, is simple: if we continue down this path we risk losing the consent of the British people,” he said.

“And the resulting backlash would not just be against specific policies but against the wider mission itself, meaning we might never achieve our goal.”

As part of its transformation for EV production, the Ellesmere Port plant underwent several key changes, including the addition of a battery assembly shop, upgraded General Assembly and relocation of the bodyshop.

This 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.

A new test track has also been built and a new parts distribution warehouse is in its final stages of construction, ahead of becoming fully operational in early 2024.

The Ellesmere Port factory was built in 1962 and produced its first car, the Vauxhall Viva, in 1964. Since then, it has produced iconic models from the Vauxhall range including the Chevette and successive generations of the Vauxhall and Opel Astra.

Since 1985, more than 4.1 million units have rolled off the production lines at Ellesmere Port.