JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) has opened a new facility in Coventry dedicated to developing electric car drive units.
The new Future Energy Lab at Whitley – one of JLR’s engineering centres – features test rigs for electrical systems, including cold-weather chambers, and capacity for drive-unit production.
JLR says the battery-electric Range Rover is among the new cars currently undergoing testing at the facility, ahead of its launch next year.
Some 200 engineers are already employed at the Future Energy Lab, and JLR said it will create a further 150 roles going forward.
The British firm will invest a further £22 million in the site next year, in addition to the £250m it has already spent.
Oliver Boakes, chief engineer of powertrain test operations at JLR, hailed the site as “another jewel in the crown of our move towards an all-electric future”.
Thomas Müller, executive director of product engineering, added: “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're proudly developing.”
The unveiling of the Future Energy Lab is the next step in JLR’s Reimagine electrification strategy, which was launched under former CEO Thierry Bolloré.
The £15 billion investment strategy comprises the reorganisation of the firm’s various product lines – Jaguar, plus Land Rover's Defender, Discovery and Range Rover sub-brands – into a ‘house of brands’.
Jaguar will headline this transition as it's repositioned from a mainstream manufacturer into an electric luxury brand, starting with a new four-door GT being launched in 2025.
Autocar understands that this will be followed by a Bentley Bentayga-sized SUV and a large electric limousine to indirectly replace the XJ.
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