£88 million of joint industry and government funding has been awarded to 46 innovative projects, including projects to develop electric trucks for the NHS and Royal Mail, e-motorcycles, and wireless charging solutions.

This funding is an important vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, as it aims to create thousands of green, skilled jobs up and down the country with the government striving to deliver its mission to get Britain moving and grow the economy for all.

Who are some of the successful applicants?

Two successful applicants in the government-supported Advanced Propulsion Centre UK’s (APC) Collaborative R&D competition, are Protean Electric and Gordon Murray Group.

Protean Electric is working to bring to market new, UK-developed, power-electronics products and Gordon Murray Group is developing an ultra-lightweight vehicle platform for future vehicles. These are key technologies that underpin the UK’s transition to future zero-emission vehicles.

Total investment in their projects is £22.5 million, including a government grant of £11 million. Both projects are estimated to save nearly 13 million tonnes of CO2, while safeguarding and creating a thousand jobs.

Andrew Whitehead, Chief Executive Officer of Protean Electric, said: “We are thrilled that project PULSE has been selected by the APC and the new Government, as it enables us to continue leading electric vehicle innovation from our UK development centre. Protean’s state-of-the-art in-wheel motors are a key solution to improve range, user experience and most importantly affordability of electric vehicles.”

Jean-Philippe Launberg, Gordon Murray Group Strategy & Business Director, said: “The Gordon Murray Group and our R&D partners feel privileged to receive – through Innovate UK and APC – Government support for the M-LightEn Project and be trusted with the development and industrialisation of leading-edge technologies to make cars significantly more energy efficient to build and run, contributing to the UK’s decarbonisation. Furthermore, the extra lightweighting we will unlock through M-LightEn directly enhances the already legendary dynamics of our cars. It’s Driving Perfection … taken to the next level.”

Who provides the funding for the chosen projects?

The joint industry and government funding awarded through the APC help to unlock further private investment into developing cutting-edge zero-emission technologies for the automotive sector. The government has provided £44.5 million of this investment and is backed by a further £43.5 million from the automotive industry.

Other successful projects, across five competitions, include eight collaborative R&D projects, seven Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) Feasibility Studies looking into battery and motor technologies, 11 projects aiming to rapidly develop automotive products, 14 micro-businesses, SMEs and start-ups specialising in zero-emission technologies which tackle transport decarbonisation and 6 projects exploring zero tailpipe emission vehicle technologies within the niche vehicle sector.

With the UK remaining an attractive destination for investment in the automotive industry, the government’s mission is to create a strong, stable, and pro-business economy, and funding these cutting-edge projects plays a role in the country achieving these goals.