UK PM Boris Johnson praises Switch Mobility's investment during trade visit to India
Apr 21, 2022
Leeds [UK]/Chennai [India], April 21 : UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday praised Switch Mobility, an electric bus and light commercial vehicle company, and its investment in the UK and India 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.
As per an official statement, UK and Indian businesses confirmed more than 1 billion pounds in new investments, with Switch confirming its plans to invest 300 million pounds across the UK and India to develop its range of electric buses and light commercial vehicles.
With the company expecting to create over 4,000 skilled jobs in the UK and India as part of the investment, Johnson'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.
Reacting to Johnson's remarks, Chairman of Switch Mobility Dheeraj Hinduja said, "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 300 kms."
As part of the company's investment into the UK, Switch's new Technical Centre will be the focal point of its Global Research and Development team. Creating over 130 skilled jobs and led by Chief Technology Officer, Roger Blakey, the Centre will focus on the development of Switch's next-generation vehicles and is expected to open in June 2022, said the statement.
