Switch Mobility has announced an investment of over £300m in the UK and India as part of its work to become “a market leader” in zero-carbon segments, including battery-electric buses.
That money is expected to create over 4,000 skilled jobs across both countries and it will see a technical centre in Warwick open in June. The news was confirmed on 21 April at the time of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s visit to India. It follows the recent announcement by Switch of a 12m battery-electric bus that has been designed for mainland European and APAC markets.
The Warwick technical centre will capture “over 130” of the new skilled jobs and it will serve as the focal point of Switch’s global research and development team. It will be led by Chief Technology Officer Roger Blakey and focus on the development of Switch’s next-generation vehicles. The Warwick facility will work closely with Switch’s existing R&D offices in Chennai, Leeds and Valladolid.
Says Switch Mobility Chairman Dheeraj Hinduja: “We are delighted that the Prime Minister has commended the investment that Switch is making to become a leader in electric transportation as an example of the benefits of UK-India collaboration.
“Since forming Switch Mobility over a year ago, we have seen the pace of change to electric vehicles for public and commercial transportation increase significantly. With a strong order book of nearly 600 buses and ambitious investment plans already in place, we believe we are well placed to capitalise in this growth.
“The new 12m bus has been designed specifically taking into account the requirements of the Indian market and delivering a range of up to 300km.”
