Switch Mobility Ltd, the electrified commercial vehicles group backed by the Hinduja Group, today announced its formal launch by combining the electric commercial vehicle operations of Ashok Leyland and the former Optare company, based in the UK. The move is designed to secure a leading global position in net zero carbon buses and light commercial vehicles.

A new leadership team has been appointed to leverage the legacy manufacturing and innovation capabilities of Ashok Leyland and Optare, while applying cutting-edge technologies to provide customers with industry-leading low cost of ownership and net zero emissions transport solutions globally.

Dr Andy Palmer has been appointed as Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, with effect from July 1, 2021, supported by an experienced team of experts. This includes Nitin Seth as Chief Operating Officer, Sarwant Singh Saini as Chief Planning Officer and Roger Blakey as Chief Technical Officer.  Further leadership appointments will be announced shortly.

With the combined expertise of its teams in UK and India, Switch will build on its experience of having more than 280 electric vehicles in service with over 26 million miles covered. The company’s potential has been enhanced through technological collaboration with partners including Siemens to deliver e-mobility solutions that already offer the lowest Total Cost of Ownership for CV customers in India. As part of its ramp-up, Switch has already signed customer agreements with leading logistic operators and secured orders for a 2,000-strong e-LCV fleet with customer trials starting this month.

Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Switch Mobility, said: “The Hinduja Group is focused on providing the needed thrust to our ongoing initiatives in the rapidly growing zero carbon mobility sector. This is orchestrated through combining the advanced engineering and development skills in the UK and India to address the demand in global markets. I am confident that with Andy Palmer at the helm, we will accelerate our vision to be at the forefront in this field soon.”

Dr. Andy Palmer, Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO and of Switch Mobility, commented: “Switch holds a unique position in an increasingly competitive marketplace with our EV commercial vehicles already clocking millions of miles in service. We embrace the ethos of a start-up and enjoy the legacies of intellectual property, borne from more than a decade of technical expertise and engineering experience, that is already revenue-generating and delivering for our customers. I’m delighted to have become part of the Executive Leadership team and believe we have all the required ingredients to become a leading global e-bus and e-truck player, trail-blazing the way to zero-carbon public transport.”