The UK government says £88 million of joint government and industry investment has been awarded to various projects focusing on zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) technologies.
With £44.5 million of the investment from the government backed by a further £43.5 million from the automotive industry, 46 projects have been awarded, including one seeking to develop electric trucks for the NHS and Royal Mail.
On 17 September, minister for industry and decarbonisation Sarah Jones revealed the successful projects that would receive funding, awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
Jones 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.”
The minister visited two of the awardees, Protean Electric and Gordon Murray Group, both of which entered the APC Collaborative R&D competition.
Protean Electric is working to bring to market new, UK-developed power-electronics products. Named PULSE (Power electronics Upscale for Localisation and Sustainable Electrification), the project secured a £5.5 million Collaborative Research and Development grant from the APC.
Gordon Murray Group is developing an ultra-lightweight vehicle platform for future vehicles. Strategy and business director for the group, Jean-Philippe Launberg, said: “The Gordon Murray Group and our R&D partners feel privileged to receive government support for the M-LightEn Project and be trusted with the development and industrialisation of leading-edge technologies to make cars significantly more energy efficient to build and run, contributing to the UK’s decarbonisation.”
According to government estimates, the two companies will safeguard and create nearly 1,000 jobs.
Other successful projects, across five competitions, include eight collaborative R&D projects, seven Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) Feasibility Studies looking into battery and motor technologies, 11 projects aiming to rapidly develop automotive products, 14 micro-businesses, SMEs and start-ups specialising in zero emission technologies which tackle transport decarbonisation and 6 projects exploring zero tailpipe emission vehicle technologies within the niche vehicle sector.
UK will need battery manufacturing capacity of around 110GWh per annum
The UK’s ZEV technology sector will also need a battery technology industry to thrive.
According to research published by the Faraday Institution on 17 September, the UK will need to be manufacturing around 110GWh of battery every year by 2030. The UK is an attractive location for battery manufacturing, but expansion will be needed in line with European investments, it said. The government’s funding for the sector is intended to provide certainty for investors, something of particular importance after the Britishvolt collapse.
The Faraday Institution predicts that 270,000 UK jobs could be supported by the EV and battery industry to 2040. A gigafactory being developed by the battery arm of the Tata Group, Agratas is expected to cost in the region of £4 billion, create 4,000 direct jobs and have an output of 40GWh.
The government has also highlighted the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) in north-east England, where Nissan, AESC UK and Sunderland City Council’s ambitious EV36Zero electric vehicle hub will be based.
