Earlier this month, Business Secretary (and COP26 president) Alok Sharma announced a £36.7 million investment in a scheme to promote the design, test and manufacture of electric machines in some of the UK’s most polluting industries.

Some £30 million will be used to create four new centres of excellence — in Newport, Nottingham, Strathclyde and Sunderland — that will bring together climate-change pioneers to research and develop ‘green’ electric machines, including planes, ships and cars.

Another £6.7 million will be awarded to 14 projects to help ensure that the final buyers in supply chains — such as large automotive manufacturers — can access the parts and components they need ‘to develop electric machines with ease’.

This investment will have applications for electric vehicles, as well as other industries, including rail, marine, aerospace and energy — all with the aim of switching away from fossil fuel technologies.

Mr Sharma said: “The electric revolution is an opportunity for our transport sectors to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

“The UK is leading the way in developing cleaner technologies to help us reach our target of zero emissions by 2050, and these new centres will play an important part in that.

"These will provide a home for virtual product development, digital manufacturing and advanced assembly techniques that could drive world-leading improvements in the testing and manufacturing of electric machines.”