APC names three funding winners

Three UK-based zero carbon automotive projects have secured government funding via the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

The combined award of £25.4m, provided by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and delivered by Innovate UK, will support the development of projects by Jaguar Land Rover, Intelligent Energy, and Equipmake.

The total value of the funding will be at least £50m given industry contributions for the following projects: hydrogen fuel cells for buses and large vehicles; an electric bus drivetrain that integrates heating, cooling and ventilation to reduce energy consumption; and a lightweight electric drive unit for a variety of new vehicles that offers increased range, power and torque.

With the whole of the UK committed to net zero carbon by 2050, following legislation published in June, each project is built on collaboration, bringing together industry and academia to ensure ideas are developed and brought to market quickly.

This current round of funding creates or safeguards almost 4,000 jobs in the UK, up- skilling employees in roles including research, development and manufacturing.

Ian Constance, chief executive of the APC, said, ‘The winning projects were selected following rigorous assessment and were ranked based on the value they create for the UK economy. These three projects all develop new UK production supply chains, as well as many hundreds of employment opportunities. We have high regard for the sharing of knowledge between industry and academia, therefore ensuring the creation of a highly-skilled and experienced zero carbon automotive sector.’