Speaking at the University of Warwick, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth said he intends to double the car manufacturer's global workforce by 40,000 focused on electric car and relevant technologies including battery development. This can grant an additional 10,000 energy sector jobs focused in research and development in the next few years.
Speth said he intends to build electric vehicles in the west Midlands "in the home of our design and engineering" but lacks the "capacity to produce them at scale nor at speed." Speth said investing in the UK is more expensive than other countries -- a reference to the red tape and high corporate taxes in the country.
UK Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark said he intends to make the UK a "world-leading hub for next-generation electric vehicles." According to The Guardian, Clark said the automotive sector would be his goal particularly the development of electric and driverless cars and battery technology development. The statement and goals are in line with Jaguar CEO Speth's plans, marking a better fate for the UK's energy sector post-Brexit.
Speth said Jaguar Land Rover would need the equivalent of four power stations and "proper legislative framework" that UK Business Secretary Clark appears willing to provide given his statements. Speth highlighted the UK government may also forfeit investments from businesses to other countries if it could not accommodate energy infrastructure and the framework mentioned. He said it was a "race" and that "our opportunity is nothing less than to lead the world in smart cities, smart economy and smart mobility."
According to BBC, after Jaguar's statement, the fate of the UK's energy sector development was in the hands of Clark. Business Editor Simon Jack said the "message was clear -- the ball is now in the government's court." The message is likely to allude to the cutting of red tape and ultimately "match the soaring ambition of one of the UK's largest manufacturers."
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