A £106 million package for projects developing innovative battery, vehicle and refuelling technology, was unveiled by the Prime Minister at the UK’s first ever Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit.
Speaking at the event in Birmingham, Theresa May referred to her “ambitious mission” for the UK to become world leader in low-emission technology, as part of a drive to “keep the country green”.
At the summit, the Prime Minister also hosted an automotive ‘round table’, with leading supply-chain companies from Germany, the USA, Japan, China, Spain and India, the aim being to explore what more the Government and industry can do to accelerate the development of the zero-emissions market — and to highlight the UK’s strong offering in
this area.
This was the third in the Government’s series of investment ‘round tables’ that promote UK industry sector opportunities to a global audience, and drive foreign direct investment in the UK as it prepares to leave the European Union.
Also unveiled was a new international declaration designed to forge the way for the world-wide deployment of ‘green’ vehicles and the introduction of a smart zero-emission infrastructure.
The first signatories to the Birmingham Declaration included Italy, France, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Belarus and Indonesia; more nations are currently in talks to sign up.
The Prime Minister said: “I want to see Britain once again leading from the front and working with industries and countries around the world to spearhead change.
"That is why I have set this country an ambitious mission to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacture of zero-emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be — in effect — zero-emission by 2040.
"We are already taking significant strides forward; our electric UK-manufactured cars account for one in five sold in Europe, and our batteries are among the best in the world.
“Today, we have provided over £100 million of funding for innovators in ultra-low-emission vehicles and hydrogen technology, with a further £500 million of investment from key industries in this sector.
"These measures will drive the design, use, uptake and infrastructure necessary for cleaner, greener vehicles — and in doing so will help us to drastically reduce a major contributor to our global warming emissions, as we seek to meet the Paris Climate Change Agreement.”
Some of the companies involved with this initiative include: JEE (about £6 million to establish an assembly and testing facility in Birmingham); Aston Martin (a further £50 million at its new St Athan facility in Wales, which will become its centre for electrification and the home of the Lagonda brand); and Cummins (£210 million on UK R&D in the automotive and associated industries over the next three years).
Also involved are the EV Network, Williams Advanced Engineering together with Unipart Manufacturing Group, Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co Ltd, Lloyds Banking Group, Ryobi Aluminium Casting UK, Lear Corporation, Qinetiq, Leoni and MINTH, which is developing new products to reflect the shift towards lightweight electrification and autonomous driving.