Government announces new funding for autonomous and low-carbon projects

12.00 | 12 April 2017 |

38 ‘cutting-edge’ automotive research and development projects have been awarded a share of £109m of new funding to help develop the next generation of driverless and low-carbon vehicles.

At the same time, the Government has announced that ultra-low emission car buyers will continue to benefit from a grant of up to £4,500 (£2,500 for a hybrid), and receive £500 towards the installation of a charge point in their home.

The new funding comes as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which is designed to keep Britain at the forefront of the autonomous and low-carbon vehicle sectors.

Seven projects will share grants worth £62m from the latest round of funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the joint industry-government programme to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology.

The projects – led by BMW, CNH Industrial, Ford Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Penso Consulting, Westfield Sportscars and Williams Advanced Engineering – cover a wide range of new innovations including the development of a high power battery suitable for high-performance vehicles.

A further seven projects have won a share of £16.7m from the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) to develop a range of ultra-low and zero emissions vehicle technologies.

These projects will be led by Equipmake, Ford Motor Company, Great British Sports Cars, Jaguar Land Rover, Ricardo Innovations, Romax Technology and Wrightbus.

The remaining £31m will be shared among 24 projects – the first set of winners of the second round of the Government’s connected autonomous vehicles competition, CAV2.

Greg Clark, business and energy secretary, said: “Low carbon and driverless cars are the future and as a Government we are determined to build on our strengths and put the UK at the forefront of this revolution.

“Investment in this technology is an integral part of this Government’s efforts, to ensure the UK auto sector remains competitive and world-leading.

“The projects being awarded funding today will help extend our excellence in these cutting edge research fields, helping to safeguard jobs while ensuring the UK remains the go-to destination for automotive excellence.”

John Hayes, transport minister, said: “The number of ultra-low emission vehicles on our roads is at record levels and our renewed support for these exciting technologies is yet another significant milestone.”

 

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