JLR converts Slovakian Nitra plant for BEV production
JLR will also produce electric cars at its plant in Nitra, Slovakia, in the future. The plant will be converted to produce electric cars as part of a total investment of £15 billion over the next five years for the group’s electric future announced in April, JLR has now announced.
JLR plans to introduce nine all-electric models under the Jaguar, Range Rover, Defender and Discovery brands by 2030. Nitra is where the Defender and Discovery are manufactured as internal combustion vehicles, so it stands to reason that the corresponding BEV successors will roll off the production line there in the future. However, JLR will only confirm further details on the electric models for Nitra at a later date.
While JLR has not yet given a specific date for the planned start of production of electric cars at the Slovakian plant, JLR’s Executive Director of Industrial Operations, Barbara Bergmeier “I am thrilled to announce that our fantastic state-of-the-art plant in Nitra will be producing electric vehicles this decade as part of our electrification strategy. This is a vote of confidence in the plant’s 5,000 skilled and dedicated people and demonstrates the key role Nitra plays in our current successful performance. I also want to thank our suppliers, who have followed us to Nitra and supported our increases in production.”
The future of the plant was not clear for a long time. The plant was only opened in 2019 (365,000 vehicles have been built there since then) and is therefore much more modern than the British plants. However, JLR is not exactly considered financially secure in the industry – so it was also conceivable that the promising e-car production would primarily be located in the British home market.
JLR invested 1.3 billion euros in the construction of the plant and installed a modern production system. Kuka’s Pulse Carrier system is used in the highly automated production – at the time it was the first plant with this technology. This reduces handling times by 30 per cent compared to conventional systems.
Earlier this week, the company opened the ‘Future Energy Lab’ in Whitley, not far from Coventry. JLR has invested around 250 million pounds in this development centre for electric drive systems.
JLR’s eMobility production network is slowly taking shape with the announcement of electric car production in Nitra. The Halewood plant will become JLR’s first all-electric production facility (producing the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport) and the Solihull vehicle plant will produce electric Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Jaguar models. So for Nitra, that leaves Defender and Discovery or all-new electric ranges in the future. The Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton will produce electric drive units (EDU) – those developed at Whitley – and Castle Bromwich is being prepared to produce body panels for electric vehicles.
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