REE Automotive, an Israeli electric vehicle technology start-up, will open an engineering centre in the UK to support its plans for mass production.
The facility will be based at the MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and will create 200 high-skill new jobs over the next few years.
REE is working on both entire electric vehicle platforms, plus a new technology called REEcorner that packages all steering, braking, suspension, powertrain and control tech into the car’s wheelarch.
The firm claims the technology will offer more room for passengers, cargo and batteries, in a manner ‘unprecedented in the industry’.
The UK base will ‘spearhead engineering design, validation, verification and testing, as well as product homologation’.
REE will also use MIRA’s test facilities and proving ground to validate REEcorner and the EV platform.
The aim is to offer the technology both to car manufacturers and other companies who want to develop their own EVs.
The UK base will be one of 15 integration centres globally, with the first one set to open in the US later in 2021.
Co-founder and CEO Daniel Barel (pictured above) said: “I am excited to announce another major milestone for REE towards bringing our technology and products to the market as we expand our global footprint.”
The UK government considers the investment plans a major success.
Lord Grimstone from the Department for International Trade said: “The government’s multi-million ‘Driving the Electric Revolution’ program, which drives forward new solutions in automotive power electronics, motors and drives, has played a major role in bringing this exciting investment to the UK.”
Mike Charlton, REE COO, concurred: “A key driver in our decision to establish our presence in the UK is the government’s forward-thinking vision and zero-emissions policy that perfectly aligns with REE’s goal of heralding a more sustainable, greener future.”
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