7:55 am, October 25, 2023
JLR is hoping to ramp up its switch to an all-electric line-up with the opening of a new specialist EV testing facility in the Midlands.
The carmaker has unveiled the state-of-the-art new site in Coventry, following a hefty investment totalling £250m.
Dubbed the ‘‘Future Energy Lab’, the facility will be home to the development of the next generation of electric models from both Jaguar and Land Rover.
Located at JLR’s Whitley Engineering Centre, the site will include ‘extreme-weather climate chambers’ that can replicate harsh conditions and plunge components into temperatures ranging from -40 to up to 55 degrees Celsius.
Bosses say that the new premises will allow JLR to increase its EV testing capacity while also lowering costs and emissions.
Alongside the 200 electric vehicle engineers already working at the centre, an extra 150 roles will be created. JLR also expects to put an additional £22m into the site next year as upgrades continue to be added.
Thomas Mueller, executive director of product engineering at JLR, said: ‘Our vehicles are, and continue to be, at the forefront of an all-electric automotive future.
‘This facility, a core component of our Reimagine strategy, is essential to providing the advanced testing capabilities that will be vital to the performance and reliability of the modern luxury vehicles we are proudly developing.’
Among the fist electric models of JLR’s ‘new wave’ will be a battery-powered Range Rover, which is expected to launch next year after undergoing tests at the Future Energy Lab.
Earlier this year, JLR’s owner – Tata Group – also confirmed that it will invest more than £4bn building a new gigafactory in Somerset.
The UK government is believed to have pledged millions of pounds to help bring the production plant here rather than Spain, with reports suggesting Tata had asked for up to £500m in support.
The gigafactory will be located at the Gravity business park, a 616-acre site currently under construction close to the M5 near Bridgwater.
