26-04-2025
Time is now for green manufacturing
Quentin Willson, a name synonymous with motoring, said he believes the convergence of environmental imperatives and geopolitical shifts has created a unique opening for a renaissance in green manufacturing.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are only a part of this, but they are a significant part, and it has taken a very long time for the modern EV to prove itself as a viable mode of transportation. Now that it has done so, however, the EV is emblematic of the opportunities ahead.
'The moment I realised it was the future was in California in 1987, when I drove the General Motors EV1,' Willson said.
Progress was slow – until it wasn't. Today, EVs are not only a realistic alternative to cars with internal combustion engines, but are rapidly becoming the first choice for drivers and policymakers alike.
Just the last decade has seen a huge leap in EV range and the rollout of charging infrastructure.
'I bought my first EV in 2009; it did 50 miles and the kids had to keep their scarves and hats on, on the school run, as the heater reduced it to 30,' Willson said.
Today it is a rather different story – and Willson would know. A noted automotive author and, most famously, a former presenter of Fifth Gear, Top Gear, and The Car's the Star, Britain's three best-known motoring television programmes, Willson has long been associated with the cutting edge of automotive technology and consumer trends.
He has also been a voice for change, for example campaigning against artificially high car prices in the 1990s. Today, however, the green transition is what interests Willson.
It is not just a case of wanting to be green, though. Yes, Willson said, having environmental sensibilities – and acting on them – is important in itself, but there is another factor to consider: the economy.
The need for an energy transition away from fossil fuels is well understood. What may be less known, he said, is that this creates new opportunities for industry.
'We need to think about the geopolitical shifts here and to look again at manufacturing. We need to look at the opportunities for green manufacturing – for solar, for EVs – and to see the signs that are out there,' he said.
The signs are clear for all to see. Indeed, US tariff policies that have caused panic among trading nations have simply added the case for creating new, green supply chains.
Consequently, Willson said, there is now an opportunity to reassess manufacturing and our approach to it, and build a productive base in the green manufacturing sectors whose products we need today.
'We just heard from the IEA [International Energy Agency] that oil is at historic lows as a primary energy source, and we know that companies are not looking at deepwater drilling. This means we are at a special moment,' he said.
This does not mean nostalgically hoping yesterday's sunset industries spring back to life. Instead, Willson said, counties such as his own, Ireland, and others across Europe should be looking at how they can become hubs for the burgeoning green technology sector.
We need to start thinking about how we attract that capital, those investments, those factories, because we have an opportunity to direct it towards what is going to be a green transition.
Willson will underscore this message in June when he speaks at Manufacturing Solutions, the collaborative manufacturing event which is returning to the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Coonagh Campus. Founded in 2016, Manufacturing Solutions Ireland is a collaborative event run by TUS in conjunction with engineering and manufacturing trade body GTMA. At the event, Willson's presentation will explore manufacturing opportunities in electric vehicle batteries and components, something he said has the scope to not only create high-paying jobs, but revitalise the sector, while meeting key political goals including securing supply chains and driving a shift to sustainability.
'We need to start thinking about how we attract that capital, those investments, those factories, because we have an opportunity to direct it towards what is going to be a green transition,' he said.
Looking to his own country, Willson said that in spite of real challenges, the public embrace of EVs was clear.
'At the moment Britain has the highest electricity costs in Europe because of a decline in the grid (but we will get that done) and yet there is an amazing shift going on. We sold the most EVs [in Europe] in March and one in four cars sold today are electric cars, meaning we're outpacing Germany and France,' he said.
The upshot is that as new and ever-better components are needed, and indeed as old supply chains shift, there is an opportunity to establish robust domestic and regional green manufacturing capabilities.
'We need to make the batteries here, the battery management systems, the chargers…, our reliance on China is unsustainable,' Willson said.
For Willson, this isn't just an environmental imperative, but a strategic economic necessity.
'It's time for the government and SMEs to say that there is a very bright future for manufacturing,' he said.
