Almost £130 million is being invested in the UK automotive industry to develop zero-emission vehicle technologies and support more than 1,800 manufacturing jobs, the Government has announced.
The funding, delivered through the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, will support projects ranging from electric vehicle technology to connected and automated vehicles.
Almost £65 million of government funding is being matched by industry, with nearly £50 million going directly to automotive companies and research and development partners through the DRIVE35 programme.
The Government said the investment would help businesses develop and manufacture new zero-emission technologies at scale, with the aim of supporting the transition to electric vehicles while reducing costs for consumers.
Projects will be supported across the UK, including in the North East and West Midlands, two major centres for automotive manufacturing.
Companies including Turntide Technologies and Bentley are among those set to benefit from the latest funding. The Government said the investment would help ensure new vehicle technologies are designed, developed and manufactured in Britain.
The announcement follows £100 million of DRIVE35 grants already awarded to automotive supply chain businesses in the North East and West Midlands to help them prepare for the shift towards electric vehicles.
A further £17 million will be allocated to nine Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder projects. The schemes will allow businesses and research organisations to develop and test technologies including self-driving vehicles and other automated transport systems.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the connected and automated mobility sector could create tens of thousands of jobs and contribute around £66 billion to the UK economy by 2040.
The Government said the latest investment would support thousands of additional jobs through automotive supply chains, alongside the 1,800 roles directly supported by the projects.
The funding forms part of DRIVE35, described by the Government as the largest investment in the UK car industry since the post-war period. The programme is set to provide £4 billion of Government support for the automotive sector through to 2035 as the industry moves towards electrification.
Ian Constance, Chief Executive at the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, said: ‘The projects announced today demonstrate the depth of innovation and engineering excellence that exists across the UK automotive sector. Through DRIVE35, we are supporting businesses to move promising technologies to commercial deployment and manufacturing at scale.
‘This investment is about far more than individual projects. It is about strengthening the UK’s capability to design, develop and build the technologies that will define the vehicles of the future. By bringing together industry, government and academia, DRIVE35 is helping create the conditions for long-term growth, increasing investor confidence and reinforcing the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading destinations for automotive innovation.’
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