Prime Minister Boris Johnson praises Switch Mobility’s investment during trade visit to India!
Investment of over £300m planned across India and the UK as part of strategic aim to become a market leader in zero carbon public and commercial transportation
Prime Minister’s visit coincides with the launch of Switch’s first 12m electric bus in India, part of an order bank of nearly 600 electric buses in the country
New Technical Centre to be opened in Warwick, UK in June 2022
Investment expected to create over 4000 skilled jobs
Leeds, UK; Chennai, India – 21 April 2022: Today, UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, praised Switch Mobility (‘Switch’ or ‘the Company’) and its investment in the UK and India during his trade visit to India. As part of his visit to Delhi and Gujarat, the Prime Minister took the opportunity to highlight Switch as an example of a business strengthening bilateral trade between the countries. UK and Indian businesses confirmed more than £1bn in new investments, with Switch confirming its plans to invest £300m across the UK and India to develop its range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles.
With the Company expecting to create over 4000 skilled jobs in the UK and India as part of the investment, the Prime Minister’s visit also coincided with the launch of the Company’s new 12m electric bus for India and the announcement of a new Technical Centre in the UK.
Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Switch Mobility commented: “We are delighted that the Prime Minister has commended the investment 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 bank of nearly 600 buses and ambitious investment plans already in place, we believe we are well placed to capitalise on 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 300kms*.”
As part of the company’s investment into the UK, Switch’s new Technical Centre will be the focal point of its Global Research and Development team. Creating over 130 skilled jobs and led by Chief Technology Officer, Roger Blakey, the Centre will focus on development of Switch’s next generation vehicles. The venue is expected to open in June 2022 and will work closely with Switch’s existing R&D offices in Chennai, Leeds and Valladolid employing a further 200 engineers.
About Switch Mobility
Switch Mobility is a next-generation electric bus and light commercial vehicle company with the mission to enrich lives through green mobility. A mature start up, Switch was forged from the innovative EV elements of Ashok Leyland, the fourth largest bus OEM in the world, and Optare, the UK bus manufacturer with over a century of expertise in using the latest technologies in bus design. In 2014, Switch introduced the first British built, pure electric buses to London’s roads and since then has put 300 EVs on the road, clocking up over 300 million electric miles in developed and developing markets.
With dedicated teams at our sites in Leeds, UK and Chennai, India, our market-leading vehicles are sold in over 46 countries around the globe and combine the best of British and Indian design, technology and engineering to create unique products. Capitalising on our demonstrable experience and proven expertise in light weight architecture, net zero carbon technologies, data analytics, software and customer service, Switch Mobility aims to be the commercial EV provider and employer of choice in the industry. Through its subsidiary OHM, Switch also offers a range of eMaas services, supporting communities in their transition to a zero emission transport network.
