UK: JLR hires engineers to support EV production
In Solihull, the new engineers will be in charge of maintaining equipment used to build the Range Rover Electric. In JLR’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EMPC) in Wolverhampton, they will maintain equipment and machines used to build battery packs and Electric Drive Units (EDUs) for JLR’s electric vehicles.
That is why the carmaker explains these positions “are central to the luxury automotive’s Reimagine strategy, which will see pure electric versions of all of its brands launched by the end of the decade.”
“Investing in people and the latest technology is at the cornerstone of our Reimagine strategy,” adds Nigel Blenkinsop, JLR Executive Director of Industrial Operations. “With the transformation of our factories of the future now well underway, we’re now looking for talented technicians with a passion for sustainable innovation to help support our growth.”
As announced last year, JLR has trained some 20,000 employees and those of authorised dealers in electrification and digitalisation as part of a further training campaign.
The Tata-owned automaker ) will invest £18 billion in its electric future by the end of the decade. The initial plan was to convert the Halewood plant (UK) to a purely electric production facility. The Wolverhampton engine plant, which currently produces combustion engines, will manufacture electric drive units and battery packs for JLR’s next generation of vehicles.
In February 2024, JLR announced that it is moving away from its goal of launching six all-electric cars by 2026 and will instead focus on hybrids and plug-in hybrids, as the demand for battery-electric cars has slowed down. It now only wants to launch four BEVs by 2026. These include the Range Rover Electric SUV and the electric Range Rover Sport. Both are based on the MLA platform, which supports combustion engines, hybrids and battery-electric drives.
Nevertheless, JLR did confirm in its current statement that the Range Rover Electric will roll off the production line in Solihull later this year and that it already has “57,000 clients on the waiting list.” Solihull will also be home to “the first of three reimagined modern luxury electric Jaguars, which will be a 4‑door GT.”
0 Comments