Switch Mobility plans to invest £300m in the UK and India, creating 4,000 jobs, with the plans gaining praise from UK prime minister Boris Johnson during his trade visit to India.
As part of his visit to Delhi and Gujarat, Johnson took the opportunity to highlight Switch as an example of a business strengthening bilateral trade between the countries.
He 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.”
The prime minister’s visit also coincided with the launch of the company’s new 12m electric bus for India and the announcement of a new technical centre in the UK. The centre will be the focal point of its global research and development team.
Opening in June, it is expected the site will create over 130 skilled jobs and be led by chief technology officer, Roger Blakey. The centre will focus on development of Switch’s next generation vehicles.
Dheeraj Hinduja, chairman of Switch Mobility, added: “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 300kms.”
