JLR Opens New EV Testing Lab
The British brand aims to introduce nine new EVs by 2030.
The Whitley Engineering Centre in Coventry, UK, has been JLR’s playground for decades. However, a new facility has opened, which will help the brand become a manufacturer of luxury electric vehicles (EVs). Dubbed Future Energy Lab, it is a testing facility for EVs that has attracted an investment of GPB 250 million.
JLR’s Future Energy Centre spans 320,000 sq. ft. It will host over GBP 40 million of next-gen technologies for rapid and thorough testing of EVs, including electric test rigs, Electric Drive Unit (EDU) manufacturing and electric vehicle systems test cells. Also included is a series of extreme-weather climate chambers, capable of replicating harsh conditions from -40 degrees Celcius to +50 degrees Celcius.
By adding to the EV-testing capacity on-site, JLR will save on cost, time and emissions. The new facility, which already has 200 EV engineers employed, aims to add another 150 in times to come. Furthermore, JLR plans to invest an additional GBP 22 million in 2024 to further modernise and upgrade its Coventry site.
Over the next five years, JLR will inject GBP 15 billion to become a formidable force in the luxury EV space. By 2030, it will introduce nine new EVs covering its Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar models. The first will be the Range Rover BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), scheduled to launch next year.
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