Prime Minister to announce £100m low emission vehicle funding

Prime Minister Theresa May is to announce over £100 million in funding for research into low emission vehicles at the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle Sunmit in Birmingham today (11 September).

The £106 million package will include money for projects developing ‘innovative green battery, vehicle and refuelling technology’, the Prime Minister is expected to say, adding that the government is keen to see the UK ‘at the forefront of the design and manufacture of zero emission vehicles.

Prime Minister Theresa May

The summit will bring together politicians and industry representatives from across the globe, at which the government will lead discussions around the development of the zero-emission market.

The Prime Minister is expected to say: “I want to see Britain, once again, leading from the front and working with industries and countries around the world to spearhead change.

“That is why I have set this country an ambitious mission. To put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles, and for all new cars and vans to be, effectively, zero-emission by 2040.

“Already, we are taking significant strides forward. Our electric UK-manufactured cars account for one-in-five sold in Europe. Our batteries are among the best in the world.

“And our Road to Zero Strategy is the most comprehensive plan globally — mapping out, in detail, how we will reach our target for all new cars and vans to be, effectively, zero-emission by 2040 — and for every car and van to be zero-emission by 2050.

“Today we have provided over £100 million of funding for innovators in ultra-low emission vehicles and hydrogen technology. With a further £500 million of investment from key industries in this sector.

“These measures will drive the design, use, uptake and infrastructure necessary for cleaner, greener vehicles — and in doing so, it will help us drastically reduce a major contributor to our global warming emissions, as we seek to meet the Paris Climate Change Agreement.”

The government will also unveil a new, international declaration that will “forge the way for the worldwide deployment of green vehicles, and the introduction of smart, zero-emission infrastructure.”

The first signatories to the ‘Birmingham Declaration’ include Italy, France, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Belarus and Indonesia, with more nations currently in talks to sign up, the government says.