Switch Mobility, the electric vehicle arm of commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland, has confirmed its plans to invest 300 million pounds across the UK and India to develop its range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles. The company expects to create over 4000 skilled jobs in the UK and India as part of the investment.
Switch Mobility used the State visit of the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to India to launch its new 12m electric bus for India and the announcement of a new Technical Centre in the UK, which will be opened in Warwick, UK in June 2022.
Switch’s new Technical Centre will be the focal point of its Global Research and Development team. Creating over 130 skilled jobs, the Centre will focus on development of Switch’s next generation vehicles. The centre will work closely with Switch’s existing R&D offices in Chennai, Leeds and Valladolid (Spain) employing a further 200 engineers.
The new 12m bus has been designed specifically taking into account the requirements of the Indian market, and it is said to deliver a range of up to 300 kms. Based on a unique monocoque design to reduce weight and increase efficiency, it is expected to be the lightest widely available 12m bus in the market and will boast the latest NMC battery technology. In combination with Switch’s data analytics and digital twin approach which enable routes to be mapped and optimised.
Boris Johnson, praised Switch Mobility and its investment in the UK and India. Johnson said: "We are committed to rolling out next generation clean green buses in the UK, and Switch Mobility is at the forefront of that revolution. This announcement will bring high quality jobs and skills to both the UK and India, and is testament to our partnership in the industries of the future."
Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Switch Mobility, said: "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 bank of nearly 600 buses and ambitious investment plans already in place, we believe we are well placed to capitalise on this growth."
It may be recalled that in November 2021 Ashok Leyland board cleared the transfer of its EV business to its step-down subsidiary, Switch Mobility Automotive (Switch). Through this, Switch – a combined entity of Ashok Leyland's electric CV operations and the former bus manufacturer Optare of the UK -- became a separate OEM (original equipment manufacturer) focusing on buses and commercial vehicles in the EV space.
