The 35-acre site, situated five kilometers from the centre of Valladolid, will be transformed into a manufacturing and R&D hub for Switch Mobility’s electric buses and light commercial vehicles. Development of the new site will be instrumental in regenerating the Soto de Medinilla area around Valladolid. €100 million investment is planned over the next decade and set to create 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region. Location of new site was announced at the press conference attended by Dr Andy Palmer, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO of Switch Mobility; Ms Reyes Maroto Illera, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism of the Government of Spain; Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, Regional President of the Government of Castilla y León and Oscar Puente, Mayor of Valladolid.
Leeds – UK, Chennai – India, Valladolid – Spain – 27th January 2022: Switch Mobility Ltd (‘Switch’), the next-generation net zero carbon electric bus and light commercial vehicle company, today confirmed its new manufacturing and technology centre will be built on a greenfield site in the Soto de Medinilla area of Valladolid.
The 140,000m2 site, situated within convenient access of the centre of Valladolid, has been selected from a number of suitable locations within the Castilla y Leon Region. The location benefits from strong infrastructure links by road and will enable Switch to develop the facility in several phases, starting with bus production and Research and Development. The site is also perfectly situated to take advantage of the strong automotive supply base within the region.
With construction due to commence shortly, Switch Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, was joined by Eva Driessen, President of Switch Iberia and members of the Executive Team, to plant several trees on site to celebrate the announcement. These are the first of 2,000 trees Switch will plant in Spain over the coming year – one for every direct job it expects to create at the new manufacturing and technology centre – in support of the company’s commitment to sustainability. The new facility will be entirely carbon neutral throughout the construction process and continue to operate at a carbon neutral level during vehicle production.
Dr Andy Palmer, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Switch Mobility Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have selected Valladolid as the location for our first manufacturing site in continental Europe. The region’s wealth of quality engineers and strong supply chain, combined with Spain’s desire to be a leader in electric buses, make the Soto De Medinella area the perfect location. This new facility will provide us with crucial access to the European bus and light commercial vehicle market.
Since announcing our plans to invest in Castilla y León, we have been overwhelmed by the level of interest in the project and I would like to thank Reyes Maroto Illera, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, Oscar Puente and their respective teams, who have worked tirelessly to secure this site for Switch. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, which have resulted in the ground-breaking ceremony being postponed until March 18th, we look forward to commencing construction imminently and seeing our first buses in production within the next 12 months.”
Switch’s new manufacturing and technical centre will house production of its first electric bus designed specifically for the European market. The new 12 metre product will build on the technology that has seen Switch become a global leader in electric buses since delivering the first British built, electric buses to Transport for London in 2014.
Utilising the latest NMC battery technology, Switch’s bespoke data analytics systems and lightweight construction methodology, the new product will optimise the Total Cost of Ownership for local authorities and operators, enabling the decarbonisation of cities and key routes across Europe. Further details on Switch’s new state of the art electric bus will be announced early in the second quarter of 2022.
Notes to Editors
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 50 million electric kilometres 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.
To learn more about Switch and view current on the road vehicles and future concepts, find us at www.switchmobility.tech and follow us on Twitter: @switchEVglobal and Instagram: @switchEVglobal
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