9:36 am, March 21, 2024
JLR is ramping up its electrification plans by recruiting 250 specialist EV engineers.
The ‘electrification engineers’ will be based at the carmaker’s factories in the West Midlands – in Whitley and Gaydon – a stone’s throw from where Car Dealer Live was held earlier this month.
The new recruits will be tasked with working on the company’s next generation of pure electric vehicles launching by 2030.
JLR say that around 40 of the new recruits will be battery engineers, working on advanced energy storage systems, battery cell design, and cell stack assemblies.
Thomas Mueller, JLR executive director of product engineering, said: ‘As we continue to invest in our facilities, we are now seeking very talented people to help us develop advancements in propulsion technology that will underpin our next generation modern luxury vehicles.’
Freddy Gunnarsson, JLR cell design manager, added: ‘We are ramping up our work, converting cutting-edge science into battery propulsion systems that offer our clients unique driving and charging experiences, expected of modern luxury vehicles.
‘This is an exciting opportunity for battery chemistry experts to help define the next generation of electrical powertrains.’
The news will come as another major boost for the carmaking industry in Gaydon, where Aston Martin also recently recruited 400 new technicians.
JLR’s approach marks a stark contrast to fellow British marque, Bentley, which yesterday performed a U-turn on its pledge to stop ICE manufacturing by 2030.
The Volkswagen-owned luxury car maker pledged in 2020 that it would be making just all-electric vehicles by 2030, but it’s now going to make hybrids for maybe a couple of years more, according to the Times.
