In these turbulent times that the world in general is experiencing, and the automotive and mobility world in particular, the news of the imminent construction of a new vehicle (and battery) factory in Spain is spectacular news. We spoke with Eva Driessen, president of Switch Mobility Iberia, which will shortly begin the construction of said factory (battery assembly and light commercial vehicle production) next to Valladolid.
The Dutch Eva Driessen has a degree and Master of Arts in European Studies with a specialization in European Law, English and Spanish. She completed her training at the universities of Leiden, Amsterdam and Madrid between 1989 and 1995.
As far as the automotive world is concerned, Eva began her professional career in 1997 in Stuttgart, in the Mercedes-Benz Communication department, and since then she has spent more than 20 years holding positions of responsibility in multiple multinational companies such as Bentley Motors , TNT, Nissan, and Aston Martin, acquiring extensive experience in the areas of Communication, Marketing, CSR, institutional relations and with the media.
Eva Driessen joined the Switch Mobility staff in 2020, assuming the presidency of the Switch Mobility Europe division in 2021. Driessen has served as president of Switch Mobility Iberia since the middle of last year. The executive, of Dutch nationality, is the head of the global sustainable mobility company for Spain and Portugal, responsible for the new electric light commercial vehicle and bus factory in Castilla y León, specifically in the Soto de Medinilla area, just only five kilometers from the center of Valladolid.
The project, in which Switch Mobility plans to invest 100 million euros over the next ten years, foresees the creation of 7,000 new jobs.
How is the start-up process of a great project like the one at the Valladolid factory being?
We have been with the project since November 2020, since we came up with this idea, and we began to decide where we were going to locate ourselves. And as Andy Palmer (CEO of Switch) has always said that he had great memories of the year he spent in Barcelona. And then we had already looked at other possible locations for the factory within the European Union, within Spain. What was very important is to have a good industrial fabric to be close to supplies for our product. And Spain has a very high level of engineering. This country has always surprised us in a positive way, because when we arrived we explored Spain in depth.
Is Switch going to present any project to benefit from the funds from the Perte of the electric and connected vehicle?
We are obviously presenting proposals to qualify for aid. For Perte in particular we have not presented any project, but we do not rule out that we will do so in the future. Right now we have focused on what are more traditional regional and national aids.
Is there a date for the start of the works?
I hope that on July 6 we will have the provisional license and then in the shortest possible time after this date we want to start with the earthworks and then prepare everything to really lay the first stone.
When is production scheduled to start?
I hope that the factory will be ready within a period of about 9-12 months, more or less by spring-summer 2023 to have the factory up and running.
Has the bureaucracy delayed the whole process?
A project of this size obviously always has its bureaucratic processes, but I personally have to thank all levels (local, regional and national) for supporting us a lot. We feel that we have had full support from the Spanish authorities. It is a project that fits very well into everything that it means for Spain to become an electromobility hub in Europe. In my opinion, it is the best place to do it, because there is an industrial fabric, there is good human capital and it is also important because of the issue of reindustrialization.
When is battery assembly and light vehicle manufacturing scheduled to start?
I hope that the next day or so after the factory is ready, we can start assembling the batteries, because it is also important for us to have this factory ready as soon as possible. That’s why we have, I don’t want to say rush, but we do want to have the factory up and running as soon as possible. And then, in terms of the production of last-mile vehicles, as soon as the battery assembly factory is finished, about a year, a year and a half later.
The recently presented Switch e1, the fully electric bus with capacity for up to 93 passengers.
The Switch e1, produced exclusively in Valladolid
The first ‘star vehicle’ of the new factory in Valladolid will be the Switch e1, recently presented at the European Mobility Exhibition in Paris. The e1 combines a lightweight unibody design with advanced NMC battery technology to create a truly market leading product. With a 389 kWh battery capacity and ZF engines, the e1 offers exceptional performance and class-leading efficiency. Fast charging is achieved in less than three hours and A/C charging in seven. The e1 also benefits from Switch’s market-leading technology, including iAlert, a real-time remote diagnostic and monitoring service, as well as high-tech digital battery management tools.
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