After the Italian XEV, Volkswagen is the manufacturer that recently produced an electric vehicle using 3D Printing. Until now, such type of manufacturing has proven to be worthy alternative for production cost and time. Aware of this potential, manufacturers do not only increasingly add 3D printing to their new ways of manufacturing but try to integrate the whole value chain of industry 4.0.
Today, Uniti Sweden wants to meet the challenges of mobility in a sustainable way. The company will establish an establish an electric vehicle “pilot production plant” at Silverstone Park.
Expected for 2020, this facility will give life to the Uniti One electric car, while serving as a blueprint for globally licensed “digital” assembly plants throughout the world.
The automotive market in UK
“The UK’s approach to vehicle production, with its focus on light-weighting and innovation in advanced materials, is an ideal model for electric car production globally,” says Uniti CEO, Lewis Horne. “It’s no secret that some of the world’s best vehicle engineers are clustered around Silverstone. When coupled with a government receptive to our ambition and goals, we couldn’t find a better home to establish our pilot production facility.”
Uniti has been working with MEPC at Silverstone Park to develop a vision for the pilot plant, with further details to be announced soon. This is the first of several planned initiatives for Uniti to establish itself in the United Kingdom, working towards a goal of becoming a major player in the UK’s EV market over the next few years. To date, the Swedish carmaker has already engaged a team of engineers at an R&D centre in Northamptonshire while fostering partnerships with local companies such as KW Special Projects (Light-Weight Structure and Additive Manufacturing), Danecca (EV Powertrain), and Unipart (Global Supply Chain). Concurrent to Uniti’s engineering activities in Silverstone, the company is setting up an office in London to ensure capital is raised for UK operations on a timescale meaningful to their plans.
Uniti plans to unveil its production models in late 2019 and deliver vehicles to pre-order customers throughout northern Europe shortly thereafter. As the UK represents a key market, the Swedish carmaker has recently announced a limited equity crowdfunding campaign through UK-based Crowdcube to give British investors an opportunity to own shares in the company.
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