UK government funding for cleaner planes, ships and vehicles

Some £30mn will be used to create four new Centres of Excellence – to be based in Newport, Nottingham, Strathclyde and Sunderland – which will bring together climate change pioneers to research and develop green electric machines including planes, ships and cars. 

A further £7mn will be awarded to 14 projects, that have won funding under the government’s ‘Driving the Electric Revolution’ challenge, that will help ensure the final buyer in supply chains – such as large automotive manufacturers – can access the parts and components they need to develop electric machines. 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. 

The 14 winning projects involve 38 major businesses from around the UK, including GKN, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce. 

The industrialisation centres 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. This includes power electronics, electric machines and drives – all of which are crucial to controlling electricity in electric vehicles and ultimately to their widespread rollout on our streets, says the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The network is to be headed up by lead partner Newcastle University, along with 21 other universities from around the UK, plus 13 research and technology organisations.