Zero-emission vehicle tech gets £88m funding boost

The joint industry and government funding will take the UK a step closer to net zero through work including next-generation battery-electric bus and electric truck development for the Royal Mail and NHS.

Other developments among the 46 successful projects across five competitions include e-motorcycles and wireless charging solutions.

Sarah Jones, Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation, said: “Labour is committed to boosting the jewel in the crown of our manufacturing base – the automotive industry. Working in partnership with industry this funding will drive innovation and propel the development of next-generation zero-emission vehicle technologies.

“From Royal Mail trucks delivering our post, to cleaner, greener bus journeys, this funding will back projects that will lower emissions across the country, while also supporting skilled jobs.”

The joint industry and government funding has been awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), helping to unlock further private investment into developing cutting edge zero-emission technologies for the automotive sector. A total of £44.5m of this investment has been provided by government and is backed by a further £43.5m from the automotive industry.

Competitions include the APC Collaborative R&D (APC25) which is supplying £60m of funding and aims to raise economic growth, projected to create or safeguard over 3,500 green jobs, and reduce CO2 in the manufacturing and usage of zero-emission vehicles.

A total of £9.1m of government grant funding has also been awarded to 11 fast-track projects funded through APC’s third Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator competition (ARMD3), which aims to rapidly develop automotive products with a clear route to market. Successful projects here include work by Botanic Energy, which is replacing diesel-driven refrigeration with energy-efficient thermoelectric systems, for Sainsburys to offer last-mile delivery with zero-emission refrigerated vehicles.

The Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP) has awarded over £2.3m in government grant funding to 14 companies specialising in zero-emission technologies which tackle transport decarbonisation. Winners include Electric Green, which is developing smart wireless charging solutions which allow electric vehicles to charge without plugging in a cable.

Seven projects will also receive a government investment of £2.3m through the fifth round of Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) Feasibility Studies with the aim to electrify Britain’s automotive sector and protect its competitiveness in the global market.

And finally, the Niche Vehicle Network (NVN) has also awarded over £1m in government grant funding to six UK SMEs and their suppliers to bring innovative technologies from demonstration through to production readiness in a compressed timescale.

Ian Constance, chief executive officer at APC, said: “Congratulations to all the companies awarded funding in this latest round of competitions facilitated by the Department for Business and Trade and industry via the APC. From collaborative projects to further advance the UK’s excellence in automotive production, to fast-start demonstrators delivering cutting-edge technology in a short period of time, through to our award-winning SME programme, it’s important we continue to show that the automotive sector is vital to the country’s net-zero goals and future economic growth, further evidencing that the UK is a highly investable opportunity.”