Electric Vehicle sector lures Indian firm to Midlands technology park

The surge in the electric vehicle sector has led to one of India’s leading metal-forming companies opening a new facility in the Midlands.

Bharat Forge (BFL) is the largest Tier 1 supplier in India and has set up its Electric Mobility Research and Development Centre at MIRA Technology Park, near Nuneaton.

The centre will be used to develop components and sub-systems for electric vehicles.

The facility will complement work already carried out over the past two years at the Kalyani Centre for Technology & Innovation (KCTI) and the Kalyani Centre for Manufacturing Innovation (KCMI) in Pune.

However, by setting up at MIRA, the Electric Mobility Research and Development Centre will be able to tap into not just the technology park’s extensive testing facilities but those of the Midlands’ wider engineering sector.

Amit Kalyani, Executive Director at the EMRDC, said: “We are really impressed with the infrastructure and the facilities available in MIRA Technology Park and have set up a research facility focused on R&D for powertrain solutions for electric vehicles.

“Several large global OEM’s and Tier 1 companies are already present at MIRA for development and testing of vehicles and systems in the EV space. The infrastructure available will only help hasten development for BFL and reduce our time to entry in this very important market space.”

Bharat Forge joins an extensive list of automotive and engineering companies already based at MIRA. They include: Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, Bosch, Haldex, Continental and ZF.

Terry Spall, Commercial Director at MIRA Technology Park, said: “We’re really pleased to welcome Bharat Forge to MIRA Technology Park. This growing number of globally-recognised automotive businesses is testament to the benefit of working in a technology cluster, with access to extensive facilities and the ability for our tenants to engage with many of the world’s global OEMs right on their doorstep.”

Since 2010, MIRA Technology Park has successfully attracted more than 35 globally-recognised businesses. It has also become one of the UK’s top performing Enterprise Zones and is recognised as a European centre of excellence for automotive research and development.