Swedish firm to create 150 jobs as it opts to build its electric car in Northamptonshire

Uniti will be will be based in the Silverstone Technology Cluster where it will work with other nearby companies to create its autonomous vehicle.

The firm's "pilot production plant" is expected to open in 2020 and create 100-150 jobs within Uniti.

"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,” said 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."

The Uniti One car will be 100 per cent electric, could cost around €14,900 (£12,980) and will go on sale in late 2020.

It will have a top speed of 130kph and a fast-charging battery with a range of 200km.

Sally Povolotsky, Uniti's vehicle development director said the company's factories would be the "leanest, meanest and greenest" as the company aims to be efficient with a limited carbon footprint.

With the help of Siemens, Uniti is able to design and crash test its models digitally.

Should the carmaker want to open another factory in a different market, it can send all the blueprints and plans to its new plant where its robots will make the car per the specifications in the digital files.

"We can do everything in a virtual environment," said Mrs Povolotsky, as she explained the concept of 'digital twinning'.

"Once the Uniti pilot plant facility is fully operational, we can take this blueprint global."

"There are lots of great companies in Silverstone Park that are advanced in what they are doing; we are looking forward to working with them," she added.

The Silverstone factory 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 country's electric car 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).

As the UK represents a key market for the Swedish carmaker, Uniti announced a crowdfunding campaign through Crowdcube to give British investors an opportunity to own shares in the company.

For more details on Uniti’s crowdfunding: https://www.uniti.earth/crowdcube