UK Government awards £91M for green automotive technology projects
August 18, 2021
The UK Government reports that it has awarded £91 million in funding to support the development of low carbon automotive technology, including hydrogen engines and ultra-fast charging batteries.
The funding has been awarded to four projects through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) Collaborative Research and Development competition, which supports the development of innovative low carbon automotive technology. Together, the projects could save almost 32 million tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to the lifetime emissions of 1.3 million cars, and secure over 2,700 jobs across the country.
These innovations aim to address motorists’ concerns regarding the adoption of electric vehicles by cutting charge times and boosting driving range, helping to make electric vehicles more affordable, efficient and convenient.
The four projects awarded funding include:
- BMW-UK-BEV in Oxford will receive £26.2 million to develop an electric battery that will reportedly rival the driving range of internal combustion engines, helping to ease concerns over how far electric vehicles can travel to rest
- Project CELERITAS in Birmingham will receive £9.7 million to create ultra-fast charging batteries for electric and fuel cell hybrid vehicles that can charge in as little as twelve minutes
- The BRUNEL project in Darlington will receive £14.6 million to develop a novel zero-emission, hydrogen-fuelled engine to help decarbonise heavy goods vehicles
- REEcorner in Nuneaton will receive £41.2 million to radically redesign light and medium-sized commercial electric vehicles in Nuneaton by moving the steering, braking, suspension and powertrain into the wheel arch enabling increased autonomous capability, storage space and design flexibility
The government has previously announced the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030 and is currently consulting on phasing out the sale of new diesel and petrol heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) by 2040, as set out in the government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
“These projects tackle some really important challenges in the journey to net-zero road transport,” stated Ian Constance, CEO at the Advanced Propulsion Centre. “They address range anxiety and cost, which can be a barrier to people making the switch to electric vehicles and they also provide potential solutions to the challenge of how we decarbonise public transport and the movement of goods. By investing in this innovation, we’re taking these technologies closer to the point where they are commercially viable, which will strengthen the UK’s automotive supply chain, safeguard or create jobs and reduce harmful greenhouse emissions.”
Minister for Investment Lord Grimstone commented, “By investing tens of millions in the technology needed to decarbonise our roads, not only are we working hard to end our contribution to climate change, but also ensuring our automotive sector has a competitive future that will secure thousands of highly-skilled jobs.”
