£89m for 20 cutting-edge EV tech projects
Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) funds net-zero work including hydrogen-powered off-road vehicles, a new lithium scale-up plant and revolutionary new electric vehicle (EV) battery systems
Last month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sent shockwaves through the car industry by announcing that the ban on sales of new vehicles powered by petrol and diesel will be delayed by five years, from 2030 to 2035. For some, the announcement suggested a lack of faith in the tech and infrastructure needed for electric vehicles (EV), and on the commitment to achieving net zero.
Photo by Markus Spiske
Given this, there’s some comfort to be had from news of the APC funding, which has the stated aim to support the end-to-end supply chain for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the UK. The money will go to work including four collaborative R&D projects that will between them save the equivalent of nearly 65m tonnes of CO2 over the next decade, five scale-up projects to assess whether businesses in the sector are ready for growth, and seven feasibility studies ahead of developing large-scale manufacturing facilities in the UK.
Among the projects receiving funds are Aston Martin’s development of a luxury battery EV platform and Perkins’s hydrogen-hybrid integrated power system for off-road vehicles. Green Lithium plans to build a lithium scale-up plant in Teesside while Ilika Technologies aims to scale-up its own solid state battery tech. There’s also support for Cornish Lithium’s new processing plant in the UK to produce anode material for EV batteries and for Aberdeen Minerals Limited’s research into innovative mineral processing routes.
Some £45.2m of the APC investment comes from the government with a further £42.7m from the automotive industry itself.
Nusrat Ghani, Minister for Industry and Economic Security, says: ‘Together with industry, we’re providing a huge £89m of funding to drive 20 groundbreaking net zero tech projects which will help grow the economy and create UK jobs in the industries of the future.
‘From net zero tractors to cutting-edge battery projects, we’re taking decisive action to back the UK’s innovators and ensure we remain at the forefront of zero emission vehicle technology.’
From luxury cars to workhorse excavators, the latest in collaborative R&D support via the APC – worth over £67m – will accelerate the development of zero emission technology in the UK, safeguarding and creating jobs and supporting investment in cutting edge R&D.
Ian Constance, Chief Executive of APC, adds: ‘This latest round of funding coincides with the APC’s 10th anniversary. We have seen over £1.4 billion of investment into automotive projects since the APC was set up, and I am proud of the impact that we have made here in the UK.
‘This latest announcement includes a diverse set of OEMs and suppliers that demonstrate the strength of UK automotive. They will further add to our portfolio of innovative projects and continue to drive the UK to deliver on its net zero ambition.’
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