UK announces £88 million for vehicle projects
The UK Government has announced that £88 million of joint industry and government funding has been awarded to 46 innovative projects, including the development of electric trucks for the NHS and Royal Mail, e-motorcycles and wireless charging solutions.
This 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. £44.5 million of this investment has been provided by government and is backed by a further £43.5 million from the automotive industry.
Two successful applicants in the government-supported Advanced Propulsion Centre UK’s (APC) Collaborative R&D competition, are Protean Electric and Gordon Murray Group.
Protean Electric is working to bring to market new, UK-developed, power-electronics products and Gordon Murray Group is developing an ultra-lightweight vehicle platform for future vehicles.
Total investment in their projects is £22.5 million, including a government grant of £11 million. Both projects combined are estimated to save nearly 13 million tonnes of CO2, while safeguarding and creating nearly 1,000 jobs.
Minister for Industry and Decarbonisation Sarah 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.
"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."
Andrew Whitehead, CEO of Protean Electric, said: "We are thrilled that project PULSE has been selected by the APC and the new Government, as it supports Protean to continue to lead electric vehicle innovation from our UK development centre. Protean’s state-of-the-art in-wheel motors are a key solution to improve range, user experience and most importantly affordability of electric vehicles."
Jean-Philippe Launberg, Gordon Murray Group Strategy & Business Director, said: "The Gordon Murray Group and our R&D partners feel privileged to receive – through Innovate UK and APC – 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. "
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.
Microchip Technology Caldicot, for instance, which will be developing high-efficiency power modules for next-generation inverter systems and addressing key gaps in the UK’s power electronics supply chain. Ram Innovations will be demonstrating highly efficient power electronics systems and sub-systems utilising GaN devices with improved efficiency and enhanced thermal performance. Botanic Energy has a project to replace diesel-driven refrigeration with energy-efficient thermoelectric systems, for Sainsburys to offer last-mile delivery with zero-emission refrigerated vehicles. And Electric Green is developing smart wireless charging solutions which allow electric vehicles to charge without plugging in a cable.
The FI predicts that 270,000 UK jobs could be supported by the EV and battery industry to 2040. The UK’s ambitious approach to the zero emission vehicle transition resulted in over £20bn of private sector investment commitments in the UK automotive sector in 2023 and this sector will play a key role in supporting long-term growth.
