Former Aston Martin boss Palmer named chief of electric-bus maker

Former Aston Martin boss Andy Palmer will become the chief executive of Switch Mobility, the electric-bus maker formerly known as Optare, as it plots an expansion into electric vans.

Switch is owned by Ashok Leyland, the Indian bus and commercial vehicle giant controlled by the Hinduja family, and will take control of Ashok’s electric assets as part of a deal to bolster the company.

The new group aims to branch out into pure electric vans by the end of this year, as well as buses, and increase its global presence beyond its twin heartlands of the UK and India.

The appointment also marks a chance for Palmer, who was already a non-executive director on the Ashok board, to salvage a managerial reputation that was left dented by the decline of Aston Martin’s share price after its ill-fated stock market float in 2018.

His mixed tenure at the luxury carmaker included his reviving the business from near bankruptcy in 2014 and developing its first sports-utility vehicle, but then presiding over its calamitous listing and subsequent problems such as overstocking its dealers.

He left the carmaker last year following a bailout led by Lawrence Stroll, the Canadian fashion and retail billionaire.

Palmer is a former Nissan executive who helped launch the company’s first electric car, the Leaf, and also previously ran the Japanese group’s van division.

The newly combined Switch has a factory in Leeds and three in India, and has so far made 280 electric buses that have notched up 26m miles. The company says it already has orders for 2,000 electric vans. 

The group claims to contribute net zero carbon, making only electric vehicles and paying to offset emissions from its suppliers.

“Companies have been talking about zero emissions for the last 15 years. It’s time to move beyond that, we need to talk about net zero carbon,” said Palmer.

He said that the business “has all the required ingredients to become a leading global e-bus and e-truck player, trailblazing the way to zero-carbon public transport”.

He told the Financial Times that his plan was to renew the bus fleet, and develop a global platform for electric vans for launch around 2024, as well as releasing its first electric van at the end of this year.

“It’s about getting people off diesel three-wheelers and into clean, electric four-wheelers,” Palmer added.

Dheeraj Hinduja, Switch chair, said the company “combines the advanced engineering and development skills in the UK and India to address the demand [for EVs] in global markets”.

He added: “I am confident that with Andy Palmer at the helm, we will accelerate our vision to be at the forefront in this field soon.”