Evida chooses region for first UK HQ

AMERICAN battery pack designer Evida has opened its first UK headquarters in Coventry after securing a £155m deal with a European car manufacturer.

The company, a designer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles (EVs), will be based at the TechnoCentre on the Coventry University Technology Park campus.

It recently secured a deal to supply German and French EV car manufacturers Mia Electric with battery packs for its three new EV models.

The relationship with Mia and execution of the contract will be managed from the UK while the battery packs will be manufactured at Evida’s facility in China.

Evida’s TechnoCentre-based team is estimated to grow to at least 20 professionals by 2012.

The firm said it chose the facility in Coventry as it is located in a region “rich with automotive and engineering resources” and provides access to expertise in the general automotive and electric vehicle sectors.

The centre will house Evida’s engineering and development, sales and marketing and administrative functions.

The new HQ is home to the principal office of Evida’s senior management, which includes the newly-hired chief operating officer Trevor Power, working alongside chief executive and co-founder Asher Bennett.

Mr Power said: “A presence in the UK enables our business to affirm its position at the heart of the country’s automotive engineering sector, whilst enabling us to tap into the mature and established supply of engineering resource which Coventry and the greater West Midlands region provides.

“The TechnoCentre fulfilled our stringent venue selection criteria and is a location which can accommodate our rapid expansion as we continue to grow our client portfolio across the UK and Europe.”

Evida, whose parent company is based in San Francisco, also maintains design and production facilities in Shenzhen, China, and offices in Jerusalem, Israel.