UK government awards £25mn to fund zero emission transport innovations

Projects across the UK are set to benefit from £25mn investment to develop ground-breaking zero emission technologies for new vehicles. A boost for green transport, the investment is a key part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, and part of wider efforts towards developing a net zero carbon economy.

A total of 22 projects will benefit from the funding. One project, led by Triumph Motorcycles, aims to develop innovative, new electric motorcycle technology lowering vehicle emissions and noise, with faster battery charge times and making electric motorbikes attractive to the market.

Other winning projects include:

• A project that will add an electric drive axle to a conventional diesel-powered truck, creating a hybrid engine which will store and reuse the electrical energy on the trailer.
• A research and development project to replace metals with new materials using recycled carbon fibres from aviation waste.
• A feasibility study into the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology as a zero emission solution for utility and off-road vehicles.

The support for these projects is key to the delivery of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy’s Future of Mobility Grand Challenge and the Road to Zero Strategy, both of which aim to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero emission vehicles. This transition is also a crucial part of the UK’s move to a net zero emissions economy.

The government’s ambition is for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040. The numbers of ultra-low emission vehicles on UK roads is currently at record levels, with around 200,000 ultra-low emission vehicles registered in the UK.

The full list of winning projects can be found at bit.ly/2WI4VaY