Switch Mobility Ltd — the electric vehicle arm of Ashok Leyland — will be setting up its European manufacturing and technology centre in Spain and the proposed project will see the company investing about €100 million over the next 10 years.
The new complex, which will come up at Castilla y León in the province of Valladolid, Spain, will comprise two modern production lines and is expected to see the first buses produced in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The facility will create up to 2,000 direct jobs and about 5,000 indirect jobs and its construction is set to commence next month, said a statement.
“This facility has been conceived to manufacture our next generation zero carbon electric buses and light CVs. This is a key step in our global growth strategy providing Switch with access to European electric bus and van markets. It will also have capacity to serve markets further afield, including South America,” said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of Switch Mobility Ltd.
Expanding footprint
With a significant presence already in the UK and India, the new facility will extend Switch’s global footprint.
Switch has planned to sell electric buses and vans to deliver zero-carbon transport solutions. It has been built on the foundations of two new businesses – Optare in the UK and Ashok Leyland in India. Optare introduced British-built electric buses first on London roads in 2014 and it has so far, delivered 300 such vehicles. In total, they have clocked over 50 million electric kms in developed and developing markets.