2019 Winner's story

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Joshua de Wit, 2016 Autocar Courland Next Generation Award winner, has completed his first work placement at Jaguar Land Rover

The 22-year old won last year’s award with a cutting-edge idea focusing on battery technology. He’s now at the end of his first placement with Jaguar Land Rover, and brimming with confidence after a successful month. “I wasn’t nervous before I started at JLR,” he says. “I was looking forward to it more than anything, and my objective was to come here and learn. I’ve learnt big time. Working with different teams and people, and learning different processes, has been fantastic.”

During his first week at JLR, Joshua worked in the ‘human machine interface’ department looking at software platforms, artificial intelligence, smartphone app development and how motorists interact with their vehicles. After that, he was placed in a research role in the energy storage department focusing on battery technology – an area he relished working in.

“I could fully immerse myself,” he says. “There’s a huge focus around technology in the industry and lots of efforts being made to develop it. JLR is not resting on its laurels – it’s looking far ahead in the future with its development. It’s been exciting to be a part of that.”

With a keen interest in electric cars, Joshua joined JLR at a pivotal time. The electric I-Pace crossover, Jaguar’s first fully electric vehicle, is under development and he was fortunate enough to learn more about the team behind it.

“The Jaguar I-Pace has so much potential,” he says. “I was surprised because the team behind the car is actually quite small. To make that car is a marvel – it’s inspiring.”

During a busy programme with JLR, Joshua also managed to squeeze in some time on the test track to learn the processes behind car development. He was able to observe how vehicles such as the Range Rover and Jaguar F-Pace undergo testing both on and off-road.