Four British companies have raised a total of $ 91 million from the government.
Companies receiving financial support include BMW’s UK-BEV division in Oxford, which is currently developing batteries for electric vehicles with a range comparable to that of a gasoline or diesel when the fuel tank is full.
Another Birmingham-based company has received nearly £ 10 million to continue development of ultra-fast charging batteries that can be fully refilled in just 12 minutes.
EV Investments: The government has confirmed a £ 91 million funding drive for four UK projects aimed at rapidly developing electric vehicles for the future, including faster charging times and longer range for plug-in models
The new funding offensive was announced this morning by the Ministry of Economic, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
The four selected projects were winners of the joint research and development competition of the Advanced Propulsion Center, which supports the development of innovative low-carbon automotive technology and is supported by both government and industry.
Officials say they were handpicked because they either address consumer concerns about switching to electric vehicles – namely range and charging times – or make future models more affordable, efficient and convenient.
The move comes with the end date for sales of new gasoline and diesel cars in 2030 and the government’s recently announced consultation to phase out polluting diesel trucks by 2040.
It also comes a week after the Department of Transport commissioned the Royal College of Art to design public charging stations that are “as iconic and recognizable as the British phone booth, London bus or black taxi,” as the minister announced his Net Zero Driving strategy further.
“The projects funded today will help enable the technological developments necessary to achieve these goals,” MEPs said on Wednesday.
BEIS estimates that the four projects – if successful – could save almost 32 million tons of CO2 emissions together.
That would correspond to the lifelong emissions of 1.3 million cars and would also secure over 2,700 jobs nationwide.
BMW’s BEV-UK facility, near the Oxford Mini Electric manufacturing facility, has received £ 26.2 million from government and industry to advance the development of EV batteries with ranges equivalent to today’s gasoline and diesel vehicles become
BMW’s battery plant in Oxford will receive £ 26.2 million to develop cells that offer range equivalent to current internal combustion vehicles, while the Celeritas project in Birmingham will receive £ 9.7 million to reduce charge times to less than to shorten an hour.
The other companies involved in the £ 91 million investment are the Darlington-based Brunel Project, which is receiving £ 14.6 million to develop a novel zero-emission, hydrogen-powered engine specifically for trucks, and REEcorner in Nuneaton will bring in £ 41.2 million to further develop radical light and midsize electric commercial vehicles.
The latter confirmed in February that it is building a state-of-the-art Engineering Center of Excellence based in Warwickshire at the Technology Institute of the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA).
REE Automotive will have a new state-of-the-art facility in Nuneaton at the Motor Industry Research Association’s Warwickshire site
REE Automotive is developing new platforms for radically light and medium-sized commercial vehicles
These are just a few examples of the electric vans REE Automotive is currently developing
In the BEIS announcement, Investment Secretary Lord Grimstone said: “By investing tens of millions in the technology needed to decarbonize our roads, we are not only working hard to end our contribution to climate change, but we are also making sure that ours Automotive sector is competitive. ” Future that will secure thousands of highly qualified jobs.
“Seizing the opportunities presented by the global green automotive revolution is central to our plans to build greener again, and these successful projects will help bring the widespread adoption and adoption of cutting-edge, clean automotive technology to life.”
The government has already announced the end of sales of new gasoline and diesel cars in the UK by 2030, putting the UK on track to become the fastest major economy in decarbonising cars and vans, and is currently advising to phase out new car sales to leave diesel and gasoline trucks by 2040 as set out in the government’s decarbonization plan for traffic. The projects funded today will help enable the technological developments necessary to achieve these goals.
Advanced Propulsion Center CEO Ian Constance added, ‘These projects address some really important challenges on the path to net-zero road transport.
“They address range fears and costs that can be an obstacle to the move to electric vehicles, and they also offer potential solutions to the challenge of how we are decarbonising public transport and the movement of goods.
“By investing in this innovation, we are bringing these technologies closer to the point where they are commercially viable, which strengthens the UK automotive supply chain, maintains or creates jobs and reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”
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