The Government has unveiled £80 million of investment aimed at helping develop the next generation of electric vehicles — along with new hybrid aircraft.

This is designed to ensure that the UK can supply products — both in the UK and abroad — to help cut carbon emissions from a range of industries, including transport, energy, agriculture and construction.

Development of these PEMD technologies — Power Electronics, Electric Machines and Drives — will be led by industry and academia and supported by over 130 organisations. This collaboration will mean investment through four key strands to provide opportunities for industries in the UK to move away from fossil fuels.

These four strands are: Fast Start Fill the Gaps/Proof of Concept Programmes — a project that aims to fill identified gaps in the supply chain for PEMD; Industrialisation Centres — aiming for the UK to develop the next generation of PEMD products such as electric vehicles and hybrid aircraft, as well as providing a focal point for the business community; high-efficiency high-volume supply chains — investing in the UK’s capability to develop the necessary machining tools for new manufacturing techniques; and low-volume high-value supply chains — aiming to help just-in-time manufacturers to sustain long-term growth.

Greg Clark, who was Business Secretary at the time of the announcement, said: “Companies like Jaguar and Lotus are choosing the UK to develop their new electric vehicles, while Easy Jet and Rolls-Royce have chosen the UK to develop their hybrid planes — all recognising and investing in the expertise and talents of the UK.

"Building on our Faraday Battery Challenge and Battery Industrialisation Centre, this co-investment from government and industry is a key part of building on our strengths and helping to create the next generation of net-zero technologies that will transform entire industries.”

This investment is part of the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, transforming the way people work and travel. Key targets include: eliminating diesel rolling stock from UK railways by 2040; accelerating the delivery of electric and hybrid aircraft by 2040; and the delivery of zero-carbon road transport by 2040.