2 minute read - 13th December 2023
Lunaz to double workforce at Silverstone factory
Upcycled electric vehicle specialist Lunaz has announced plans to double the number of jobs at its Silverstone facility – including technicians, engineers, designers and upcycling specialists – from 175 to 350 by the middle of 2025.
The announcement was made on the day Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer visited the Lunaz campus at Silverstone. Sir Keir toured the world’s only dedicated industrial vehicle upcycling and electrification facility, where Lunaz is accelerating the transition to clean-air mobility by converting existing commercial and passenger vehicles to its proprietary zero-emissions electric powertrains.
During the visit, he met members of the Lunaz team and inspected commercial vehicles at different stages of the restoration and upcycling process, developed entirely in-house and using the firm’s proprietary battery and powertrain technology.
Upcycled electric vehicle specialist Lunaz is to double its workforce from 175 to 350 by the middle of 2025 / Picture: Lunaz
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Upcycling and electrifying an existing industrial vehicle saves more than 80% of the embedded carbon versus replacing it with a new one: a Lunaz upcycled refuse truck is also better equipped to augment safety, comfort and driver wellbeing and represents a 25% capital saving over its as-new equivalent for local authorities and business operators.
The commercial vehicle upcycling and electrification sector is predicted to grow tenfold over the next five years, driven by the global transition to net zero and clean-air mobility. Lunaz itself has experienced rapid growth in both its passenger car and industrial vehicle upcycling operations. When it was founded in 2018, the Silverstone factory occupied 7,000 sq ft and employed just five people: today, it extends to more than 250,000 sq ft and employs 175 people.
The company is on a roadmap to upcycle 1,100 vehicles per year and will double its workforce to enter full production through 2024 and beyond. A global network of facilities will follow with Silverstone placed as the permanent R&D and engineering hub for a rapidly expanding international company.
Sir Keir Starmer visited the world’s only dedicated industrial vehicle upcycling and electrification facility / Picture: Lunaz
This success has been underpinned by strong commercial validation. Local authorities including Buckinghamshire County Council, alongside sustainable waste management company Biffa, have all committed to sustainably re-profiling significant proportions of their fleets by upcycling and electrifying existing vehicles with Lunaz.
A selection of the world’s leading clean-technology and institutional investors have affirmed the company’s long-term strategic importance to the global clean-tech economy by backing the company through a series of private fundraising rounds.
