JLR Confirms Plans to Make EVs in England

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd. verifies earlier reports that it will produce a range of electrified vehicles in England at its factory in Castle Bromwich.

The first of the new models will be an all-electric version of Jaguar’s flagship XJ large sedan. The last of the current XJs will be produced at the facility today.

JLR says building EVs at Castle Bromwich will protect several thousand jobs in the U.K. The company said in January it intended to eliminate 4,500 jobs, most of them in the U.K.

The company also had indicated that further investment in Britain was threatened by the possibility that the U.K. will leave the European Union at the end of October with no deal to continue tariff-free trade with the bloc. BBC News reports that JLR has run out of time to make a decision about Brexit.

The company says retooling the Castle Bromwich plant will be the factory’s most significant overhaul ever. The overhaul will ready the facility for JLR’s new “modular longitudinal architecture” platform. The chassis can accommodate gasoline, diesel, hybrid and all-electric powertrains.

JLR has not indicated what additional electric models will be produced at the facility. It also cautions that consumer acceptance of EVs remains a question until costs come down and charging can be as easy as refueling a conventional car.

JLR is backing a government-industry plan to develop local expertise in EV batteries and build a large battery-making plant in the U.K.