Skip to main content

UK Government funding for driverless and low carbon projects

The UK Government has awarded US$137 million (£109.7 million) of funding, alongside significant funding from industry, to help develop the next generation of driverless and low-carbon vehicles, as part of the Industrial Strategy and the government’s Plan for Britain. Seven innovative projects will share grants from the latest round of funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the joint industry-government programme to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology. The projects,
April 12, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The UK Government has awarded US$137 million (£109.7 million) of funding, alongside significant funding from industry, to help develop the next generation of driverless and low-carbon vehicles, as part of the Industrial Strategy and the government’s Plan for Britain.

Seven innovative projects will share grants from the latest round of funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the joint industry-government programme to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology.

The projects, led by 1731 BMW, 5561 CNH Industrial, 278 Ford Motor Company, 7998 Jaguar Land Rover, Penso Consulting, 8309 Westfield Sportscars and Williams Advanced Engineering, cover a wide range of new innovations.

A further seven projects have won funding from the government’s Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) to advance the development of a range of ultra-low and zero emissions vehicle technologies in the UK. These projects will be led by Equipmake, Ford Motor Company, Great British Sports Cars, Jaguar Land Rover, 5606 Ricardo Innovations, Romax Technology and 6616 Wrightbus.

In a fresh commitment to supporting these innovative technologies, the government has also announced that people buying an electric vehicle will continue to benefit from up to US$5,600 (£4,500) off the cost of an ultra-low emission car, up to US$3,000 (£2,500) off a hybrid and receive US$ 625 (£500) towards the installation of a charge point in their home.

It also announced the first winners of the second round of its connected autonomous vehicles competition, CAV2, with projects set to receive a share of up to US$39 million (£31 million), match funded by industry.

The CAV2 competition includes funding from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, for four one-year research and development projects supporting CAV vehicle developments, specifically in the areas of energy reduction and air quality improvements. The government will launch its third CAV competition, CAV3, to fund further industry-led research and development projects later in the year.

Related Content

  • January 23, 2017
    London trials new Ford plug-in hybrid vans
    Automaker Ford is launching a multi-million pound project designed to help improve air quality in London, as it accelerates its electrification plans with 13 new global electrified vehicles scheduled for introduction in the next five years. The project, supported by Transport for London, features a 12-month trial of 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that are said to reduce local emissions by running solely on electric power for the majority of city trips such as deliveries or maintenance w
  • August 3, 2015
    Substantial demand ‘underscores need for TIGER grants’
    US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced that applications to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for its seventh round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants totalled US$9.8 billion, almost 20 times the US$500 million set aside for the program, demonstrating the continued need for transportation investment nationwide. Among the 625 applications for grants received this year, 60 per cent are road projects, 18 per cent are transit projects, and eight p
  • October 12, 2017
    Driver Ahead conference: more training needed on driverless cars
    Driverless cars can create confusion unless training meets the fast pace of change and helps drivers cope with a whole new set of demands, according to a conclusion reached by industry experts at London’s ‘Driver Ahead’ conference in London. The IAM RoadSmart/ RAC Foundation/ Pirelli event consisted of over 100 industry experts who set out to map a safe route for driverless cars. Guest speaker Victoria Coren-Mitchell opened the conference by introducing the “death by code” concept
  • April 18, 2012
    UK government backtracking on biennial vehicle tests plan
    The current UK government, which pledged to cut bureaucracy, had set its sights on the annual MOT vehicle inspections. “Cars are more reliable and the annual test has not changed in 50 years,” transport secretary Philip Hammond announced. The plan was for vehicle testing every two years instead of annually.