The Scottish government has announced plans to invest £28m across the next four years to boost the manufacture and deployment of zero-emission heavy duty vehicles (HDVs).
The Zero Emission Mobility Innovation Fund (ZEMIF) has been developed in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and connects to other Scottish projects in support of the country’s Mission Zero for transport.
ZEMIF is available to manufacturers in Scotland developing zero-emission components, systems and vehicles through small-scale manufacturing.
To develop the fund, the Scottish government consulted with sector experts through Scotland’s Zero Emission Mobility Industry Advisory Group.
Derek Shaw, Scottish Enterprise director of innovation and place, said: “The decarbonisation of heavy duty vehicles is a key area of focus for Scottish Enterprise as we work to encourage collaboration, investment and innovation across the sustainable transport ecosystem, from Scottish transport manufacturers, to the supply chain, as well as, across government and academia.
“Transport is Scotland’s largest greenhouse gas emitting sector and the innovation fund aims to drive net zero transport transformation and encourage Scotland’s heavy duty vehicle supply chain businesses to embrace economic opportunities.”
The investment comes as a response to the group’s call for funding to aid the transition of Scotland’s HDVs and supply chain into a more sustainable model.
The group’s latest report was recently published.
The new vision statement and fund were formally launched by Scottish transport minister Jenny Gilruth at the Scottish Zero Emission Mobility Manufacturing Conference, hosted at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc in Dundee.
