Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Switch Mobility and its investment in the UK and India during his recent 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, with Switch confirming its plans to invest £300m across the UK and India to develop its range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles.
Switch is expecting to create over 4,000 skilled jobs in the UK and India as part of the investment, and the Prime Minister’s visit also coincided with the launch of the manufacturer’s new 12m electric bus for India and the announcement of a new Technical Centre in the UK.
The Prime Minister 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, 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 300 kilometres.”
As part of the company’s investment into the UK, Switch’s new Technical Centre, located in Warwick, 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 and will work closely with Switch’s existing research and development offices in Chennai, Leeds and Valladolid, which employ a further 200 engineers between them.
12m debut at Bus2Bus
Switch will be present at the upcoming Bus2Bus exhibition in Berlin, to showcase its products and technologies to the European market. During the show on 27 and 28 April, Switch will exhibit two Metrocity buses as well as providing attendees with a digital preview of its upcoming European 12 metre zero carbon bus.
Europe is seen as a key market for Switch and the company’s first facility in mainland Europe, where construction began last month, will focus on the production of the new 12m bus, which it said has been designed specifically for the European market. Based on a monocoque design to reduce weight and increase efficiency, the firm says it will be the lightest widely available 12m bus in the market. It will use NMC battery technology, in combination with Switch’s data analytics and digital twin approach which enable routes to be mapped and optimised.
The model’s official launch will be on 7 June. Peter Freedman, Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer at Switch, said: “We are delighted to be present at such a prominent event as Bus2Bus to showcase our Metrocity bus and preview our exciting, next generation 12m vehicle. Breaking ground on our first site in mainland Europe last month was a key milestone in our growth story and Europe is a significant market for Switch. I’m confident that Switch will play an important role in supporting Europe’s charge to green mobility, using advanced technology to make travel easier, cleaner and more efficient. Our upcoming 12m bus is a significant next step in this endeavour and I am incredibly excited for its formal launch in June.”
