JLR opens UK EV test facility as it gears up for electric cars

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Monday opened an electric vehicle test centre in England as it ramps up efforts to bring new electric models to market and catch up with rivals.

The British luxury carmaker, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, said earlier this year it will invest £15bn (about R360,424,300,000) over the next five years to develop EVs, with a new electric Jaguar coming in 2025.

The company has invested £250m (about R5,766,788,800) in its new Future Energy Lab in Whitley as part of those plans, which include launching nine luxury EVs by 2030.

The carmaker said that by testing EVs on-site it would minimise the cost of shipping prototype cars around the world for testing as well as the emissions associated with the process.