Driven by the solid automotive supply base, Switch Mobility on Thursday confirmed that it will build its new manufacturing and technology centre on a greenfield site in the Soto de Medinilla area of Valladolid.
According to a press release from the company, the 140,000 square metre site, situated within convenient access of the centre of Valladolid, has been selected from several suitable locations within the Castilla y Leon Region. The place benefits from strong infrastructure links by road and will enable Switch to develop the facility in several phases, starting with bus production and Research and Development. The site is also ideally situated to take advantage of the strong automotive supply base within the region.
With construction due to commence shortly, Switch Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, was joined by Eva Driessen, President of Switch Iberia and members of the Executive Team to plant several trees on-site to celebrate the announcement. These are the first of 2,000 trees Switch will plant in Spain over the coming year – one for every direct job it expects to create at the new manufacturing and technology centre – supporting its commitment to sustainability. As a result, the new facility will be entirely carbon-neutral throughout the construction process and continue to operate at a carbon-neutral level during vehicle production.
Switch's new manufacturing and technical centre will house the production of its first electric bus designed specifically for the European market. The new 12-metre product will build on the technology that has seen the company become a global leader in electric buses since delivering the first British built electric buses to Transport for London in 2014.
Utilising the latest NMC battery technology, Switch's bespoke data analytics systems and lightweight construction methodology, the new product will optimise the Total Cost of Ownership for local authorities and operators, enabling the decarbonisation of cities and critical routes across Europe.
Dr Andy Palmer, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Switch Mobility, said, 'The region's wealth of quality engineers and strong supply chain, combined with Spain's desire to be a leader in electric buses, make the Soto De Medinella area the perfect location. This new facility will provide us with crucial access to the European bus and light commercial vehicle market.'
'Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, which have resulted in the ground-breaking ceremony being postponed until March 18th, we look forward to commencing construction imminently and seeing our first buses in production within the next 12 months,' Palmer added.