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

  • Finland to become a model country for sustainable transport by 2020
    June 18, 2014
    Finland’s technical research centre’s (VTT) TransSmart vision of a model country for sustainable transport throws the spotlight on efficiency – in vehicles, systems, and services. It says transport will be a fusion of sustainable energy sources, advanced technology, safety, high service levels, mobility alternatives and new ways of operating. According to VTT, Finland in 2020 will use low-emission vehicles running on renewable energy, electricity, hydrogen and sustainable bio-fuels. The share of public t
  • Government targets ‘too conservative’ as 1 in 5 plan to embrace electric cars
    July 20, 2017
    Electric vehicle uptake may increase over the next few years to levels far above UK Government targets. In research undertaken by Baringa Partners, nearly a fifth of people said they would consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car, double the Government goal for electric cars to make up nine per cent of the fleet by 2020. However, concerns over purchase price and range mean nearly a third of people believe electric cars will never overtake petrol and diesel vehicles. Baringa is urging the Gover
  • Oxa joins Sunderland AV shuttle programme
    January 20, 2025
    UK city initiative aims to show how AVs can connect people to key destinations
  • LA Metro takes delivery of first zero emission buses
    May 1, 2015
    Hot on the heels of the announcement of California Governor Jerry Brown’s Executive Order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the state to 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030 comes the news that the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) has taken delivery of its first five battery electric transit buses. These 40-foot buses are built by local Southern California Electric Vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors and will be integrated into their daily operations, as the buses are