A minister went on a hands-free, feet-free driver as a new £24million lab was unveiled at Ford Dunton today.
The new "state-of-the-art" electric vehicle testing lab was opened today by the Government's technology minister Anthony Browne, brining Ford's total Dunton investment to more than £70million in the three new facilities playing a key role in the car firm's EV plan in Europe.
During the inauguration event, Mr Browne was taken on a site-wide tour and hands-free, feet-free drive of the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Transport minister Anthony Browne MP, leading on technology and decarbonisation, said: “It was fantastic to visit Ford and test drive their new BlueCruise technology as well as open its state-of-the-art modular test lab, which are essential for scaling up the UK’s electric vehicle production.
“It’s great to see a commitment to UK EV development following our ZEV mandate becoming law earlier this year, meaning we have a clear pathway for reducing car and van emissions.”
The facility boasts eight vehicle-size rooms to test electric vehicle, hybrid and combustion powertrains, flexing between technologies in anticipation of market changes and customer requirements.
Mr Browne also met some of the apprentices based at the Dunton Ford Link site and was shown their Transit Connect development project.
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