Jaguar Land Rover to Invest $180M in Portland for Next-Gen Self-Driving Tech

PORTLAND, Ore. — Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced plans to invest $180m into its Portland, Oregon, engineering facility yesterday. The funds are intended as part of the carmaker’s global drive to join next-generation connectivity and autonomous driving systems for future vehicles.

Jaguar Land Rover Portland Engineering Facility Gets $180m Boost

Significant investments into Portland’s business sector, such as extensive CHIPS Act Funding, are supplemented as companies invest in their futures. JLR intends to invest around $180 million over the next decade into its 50,000 sq. ft. technology hub.

JLR’s Portland technology hub opened in 2014 on a site chosen for its proximity to California and Seattle and tech giants like Amazon, NVIDIA, Apple, and Google. After growing in 2016 and 2017, the hub was further expanded last year.

As vehicles become increasingly software-driven and clients want an increasing array of apps, services, and features, JLR engineers will develop cutting-edge connectivity and autonomous technologies.

The carmaker intends to provide ultraquick and efficient connectivity to its clients. It offers limitless in-car entertainment, instantly updatable driving features and services via over-the-air downloads, and the newest autonomous driving systems, enabling hands-free driving on the highway.

At the same time, the Portland team is also working on elements of car connectivity to provide a modern luxury driving experience.

These include enabling the driver’s phone to act as a key through augmented reality on the car’s parking and head-up displays and enabling cars to talk to each other via V2X systems. According to the press release, the vehicles will epitomize modern luxury and deliver a connected experience for clients.

Engineers at Portland have already been pivotal in developing the ‘EVA2’ on-board electrical system, which is now installed in millions of Range Rovers and Defenders, ADAS autonomous driving systems, and driver aids like parking cameras.  Amazon’s Alexa ecosystem is also integrated into JLR vehicles.

Blake Lyman, JLR Portland’s Senior Director of software and site operations, said, “We are investing around $180m over the next decade to develop technologies that deliver the ultimate connected luxury experience for our clients.”