Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced the development of a £250m state-of-the-art EV testing facility at the company’s Whitley Engineering Centre in Coventry.
The new EV testing facility, known as the ‘Future Energy Lab’, will enable JLR to rapidly scale up its next generation of electric vehicles, with the leading automaker planning to launch nine pure electric models by 2030.
The Future Energy Lab will also create lucrative job opportunities and provide a significant economic boost to the local economy.
Commenting on the EV testing facility announcement, Thomas Mueller, JLR’s Executive Director of Product Engineering, said: “Our vehicles are, and continue to be, at the forefront of an all-electric automotive future.
“This facility, a core component of our Reimagine strategy, is essential to providing the advanced testing capabilities that will be vital to the performance and reliability of the modern luxury vehicles we are proudly developing.”
Inside the Future Energy Lab
JLR’s new EV testing facility will include more than £40m in technological innovations to ensure rapid testing, including EV test rigs, Electric Drive Unit (EDU) manufacturing, and EV systems test cells.
Future Energy Lab will also boast extreme-weather climate chambers that can simulate conditions from -40°C and up to 55°C.
This industry-leading infrastructure, which is part of JLR’s £15bn investment to electrify its luxury brands over the next five years, will allow the company to scale up its electric models sustainably.
The EV testing facility will also minimise the cost of emissions involved in transporting fleets of prototype cars around the world for test assessments.
Additionally, it will generate 150 highly-skilled jobs in the local area, with JLR planning a further £22m investment next year.
Oliver Boakes, the Chief Engineer of powertrain Test Operations at JLR, added: “Our operations at Whitley are at the heart of JLR – itself a leading business in the local community – so this test facility is another jewel in the crown of our move towards an all-electric future. This is a notable investment for the business and local economy.”
Accelerating the development of JLR’s next-generation EVs
The EV testing facility marks another key milestone on the company’s Reimagine Strategy and comes after the announcement that JLR will build a 40GW gigafactory in the UK.
The site will be instrumental in getting JLR’s EVs to market, with the company’s latest luxury Range Rover BEV undergoing thousands of testing hours on the rigs the Future Energy Lab will include.
Andy Street, the Mayor of West Midland’s, echoed the importance of the EV testing facility to the local area: “We have been steadfast in our ambition to place our region right at the forefront of both automotive excellence and the transition to electric vehicle production.
“Today’s brilliant news from JLR vindicates our ambition. With the opening of this new Future Energy Lab in Coventry – a multi-million-pound investment in engineering – JLR are doubling down on their commitment to electrification in the months and years ahead.
“This announcement also means that local people stand to benefit hugely – equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in this sector and the employment opportunities to match.”
