Skip to main content

Major funding for UK’s low carbon automotive technology

Five new innovative projects to develop new low carbon and energy efficient technology in the automotive sector have been awarded US$107 million of joint UK government and industry funding. The measure, which is set to boost jobs and growth in the sector, was announced today by Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, on a visit to the Morgan Motor Company. The funding has been awarded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre, a 10-year, US$1.4 billion joint partnership between Government and the automotive industry. T
January 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Five new innovative projects to develop new low carbon and energy efficient technology in the automotive sector have been awarded US$107 million of joint UK government and industry funding. The measure, which is set to boost jobs and growth in the sector, was announced today by Business Secretary, Sajid Javid, on a visit to the Morgan Motor Company.

The funding has been awarded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre, a 10-year, US$1.4 billion joint partnership between Government and the automotive industry. The latest round of funding is expected to create and protect 851 jobs and save more than 4.2 million tonnes of CO2, and it builds on the 10 low carbon projects already funded.

The five winning projects are expected to design new products and systems that will change the technology used in the automotive sector, and include companies working on technology from vans to high-end sports cars. The projects which will receive funds are: the London Taxi Corporation, for a project expected to deliver a series of light-weight, zero-emission capable, range extended vehicles; an innovative research project led by Jaguar Land Rover which will build up the automotive turbocharger supply-chain in the UK; Morgan Motor Company, to develop heavily down-sized, fuel efficient petrol engines coupled with the latest electrification technologies to produce hybrid sports cars and all-electric variants; a consortium led by AGM Batteries, for a project to develop the next generation of battery packs for high performance, low carbon vehicles; a consortium led by engineering firm Parker Hannifin has been awarded a grant to reduce the carbon footprint of electric forklift vehicles.

Announcing the funding, Javid said: “These new projects will cement the UK’s position as a leading global centre for low carbon innovation and manufacturing. Our fast-growing and diverse automotive industry has been especially successful at exporting high-value, high-technology vehicles all over the world, and our focus on next-generation innovation will ensure we can continue this progress and create even more high-skilled jobs.”

Between 2015 and 2020, the Government has committed to spending more than US$858 million to support the uptake and manufacturing of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) in the UK. This will ensure all cars and vans on the country’s roads will be effectively zero emission by 2050.

Related Content

  • UK rail passengers to benefit from new five-year plan
    April 2, 2014
    A route-by-route plan for how an ambitious five-year programme to invest US$63 billion in the UK’s railways will take shape has been unveiled. The programme, starting this week, will involve the largest modernisation of the railways since Victorian times, funding projects across the whole of the UK and building on the work that is already under way. The five-year plan for Network Rail’s new funding period, which started on 1 April 2014, will target the busiest parts of Britain’s rail network, providing
  • Cubic joins with Imperial College to apply AI in mass transit
    February 13, 2025
    Firm partners with UK university to improve public transport though new tech
  • UK report says transport innovation at risk due to unshared data
    April 13, 2017
    Innovation in transport is at risk because data is not being shared in the sector – according to a new report commissioned by the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) and using analysis from the Open Data Institute (ODI) and Deloitte. Fears around cyber security, lack of data literacy skills and a legacy of viewing transport modes such as rail and road in isolation are restricting the free flow of information, preventing the UK from unlocking the full potential of its transport network. According to the TSC
  • New range extenders for hybrid electric vehicles in 2015
    March 6, 2015
    According to the IDTechEx report Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles Land, Water & Air 2015-2025, over eight million hybrid cars will be made in 2025, with a range extender, the additional power source that distinguishes them from pure-electric. They will also be in buses, military vehicles and boats: a major new market overall. Today's range extenders consist of little more than off-the-shelf internal combustion engines. They are being replaced by second-generation range extenders - piston engines design