GET your CVs ready as electric vehicle developer Detroit Electric starts recruiting for a new  UK car plant with the target of being a major automotive employer.

Backed by Chinese funding with US $1.8 billion of investment capital, the company has US$370 million to fund UK-based European development over the next four years.

Detroit Electric’s chief technical officer and company director Richie Frost is in the advanced stages of laying the foundations for the company at Leamington Spa with the aim of recruiting 200 key personnel within six months on the way to creating more than 400 new jobs there by 2020.

The renowned electric vehicle engineer, who joined Detroit Electric in November to oversee the UK technical and engineering activities, has already started a recruitment  drive to ensure that the best senior team is in place, following the recent announcement of an injection of US$1.8 billion in capital from a joint venture agreement.

Frost explains: “Although we secured the long-term funding only a few weeks ago, we were already poised to implement our strategy to become one of the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers.”

“To achieve that, one of the key steps is to first recruit the senior technical team, and we’ve already secured some of the best talent in the industry to begin filling some of the top senior posts,” he said,

“I’m confident of bringing more exceptional people in to complete the management team within the next few months. Then, we can start filling the engineering and manufacturing positions – more than 200 in total over the next six months.”

“This will make us one of the automotive super-employers in the region, and our state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing centre will be producing world-class electric vehicles for export to global markets,” said Frost.

Detriot Electric’s recently signed joint venture agreement secured US$1.8 billion dollars of investment capital from Hong Kong, of which US$370million will fund Detroit Electric’s European operations over the next four years.

Initially, this will allow the completion of the final homologation phase of its all-electric SP:01 sports car and the start of production at Leamington Spa. In parallel, the expanded engineering teams will develop three exciting all-new models over the coming three years, all incorporating Detroit Electric’s proprietary electric drivetrain system.

Detroit Electric is an iconic brand in the global electric vehicle sector. It was introduced in 1907 by the Anderson Electric Car Company and soon established itself as the market leader and prolific manufacturer of electric cars. William C Anderson manufactured the first Detroit Electric in 1907. By 1910 they were leading the way, selling up to 2,000 cars a year.

Detroit Electric was revived in 2008 by Albert Lam, former group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and executive director of Lotus Cars of England, with a vision to produce an electric vehicle with refined aesthetics, innovative technology and superior handling and performance.

The company’s first production vehicle, the two-seater SP:01 high performance pure electric sports car, will begin production later this year. The cars will primarily be manufactured in a new, dedicated Detroit Electric production facility in Leamington Spa.

The company is also beginning to establish vehicle development and manufacturing capabilities in China, with plans to produce and market a family of electric vehicles over the coming three years.