The UK government will award £49m to low-carbon automotive projects across the UK to accelerate a green economic recovery.
According to the government the investment will create thousands of jobs, reduce CO2 emissions and strengthen EV supply chains.
Some 30 projects will receive a portion of £10m from the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund to develop low-carbon emissions technologies, including Thurso+, which will upscale a battery cell production facility in Scotland to boost UK battery manufacturing.
Furthermore, £29m will be awarded to six projects through the government’s APC16 competition, the winners are expected to create nearly 3,000 jobs and save 15 million tonnes of CO2.
One of the winning projects is an EV recycling venture that will create over 500 jobs to develop infrastructure to collect and re-use materials from EVs at the end of its life, namely EV batteries and the chemicals within.
The government said such projects have the potential to stop vehicle manufacturers shipping battery packs abroad for recycling.
Furthermore, 12 projects have been selected as part of the government’s £10m Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator competition. This includes a Nissan-led project that implements automation technology to charge EV batteries in factories, saving costs on the production line and increasing productivity.
UK minister for business and industry, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “The UK is leading the global battle against climate change, and by developing cleaner vehicles, our automotive industry will help make our net zero ambitions a reality.
“Backed by government funding, these trailblazing projects will help Britain to build back better by creating all-important green jobs, ensuring the sector can make further strides towards an electrified automotive future and helping to address one of the biggest challenges of our time: making transport greener.”
