Jaguar Land Rover – now rebranded as JLR – has opened a new £250m (€287.1m) electric vehicle development and testing facility at its engineering centre in the UK.

The hub represents a scale-up in JLR’s EV development as it prepares to launch nine pure electric luxury models by 2030

Its new Future Energy Lab at the Whitley site in Coventry will develop electric drive units (EDUs) for the carmaker’s next-generation pure electric Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar models.

The 323,000 sq. ft. site will also provide EV testing facilities, including rigs and electric vehicle systems test cells. This includes a series of extreme-weather climate chambers, capable of simulating the harshest of conditions – from -40°C, up to 55°C.

The facility, part of a £15bn investment announced in April by JLR, represents a scale-up in the luxury car manufacturer’s EV development as it prepares to launch nine pure electric luxury models by 2030. Its Reimagine strategy will reposition the company as an electric-first, modern luxury carmaker by this date. This summer also saw JLR owner Tata confirm it will build an electric battery gigafactory in Somerset, backed by a £4bn investment.

JLR is planning a further £22m worth of investment next year, as it continues to upgrade the Coventry site.

Thomas Mueller, executive director of product engineering, said: “Our vehicles are, and continue to be, at the forefront of an all-electric automotive future. 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 are proudly developing.”

Regarded by the carmaker as “another jewel in the crown of our move towards an all-electric future”, the site will test upcoming JLR EVs including the fully electric Range Rover BEV that’s due to launch next year.

The inhouse facility will also give the carmaker added flexibility to change its own EDUs rather than using a third-party supplier.

Under JLR’s plans, its Range Rover, Discovery and Defender model ranges will each have a pure electric model by the end of this decade, while Jaguar will be entirely electric.

And the new hub will reduce the need to transport across other global test facilities during the development process, minimising costs but also emissions for testing prototypes.

It will also significantly boost the local economy; more than 200 EV engineers are already working at the facility and a further 150 roles will be created.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We have been steadfast in our ambition to place our region right at the forefront of both automotive excellence and the transition to electric vehicle production.

“Today’s brilliant news from JLR vindicates our ambition. With the opening of this new Future Energy Lab in Coventry – a multi-million-pound investment in engineering – JLR are doubling down on their commitment to electrification in the months and years ahead.

“This announcement also means that local people stand to benefit hugely – equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in this sector and the employment opportunities to match.”