Government announces £20 million electric vehicle innovation fund

A £20 million fund has been announced by Government to help drive innovation in electric and zero-emissions vehicles.

The fund will form part of a research and development competition which will help the UK transition towards all new cars and vans being zero-emissions by 2035.

The scheme is targeted at innovative electric vehicle projects, and previous winners of the competition include a zero-emission ambulance prototype for London Ambulance Service, and pop-up chargers that rise up out of the pavement to provide an EV charging solution to those without off-street parking.

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “Investing in innovation is crucial in decarbonising transport, which is why I’m delighted to see creative zero-emission projects across the UK come to life.

“The funding will help harness some of the brightest talent in the UK tech industry, encouraging businesses to become global leaders in EV innovation, creating jobs and accelerating us towards our net-zero ambitions.”

According to Government, the investment will help ensure the UK remains a world leader in EV design and manufacturing, which could create around 6,000 skilled jobs over the next decade.

The news also follows the Government’s response to a consultation on its commitment to the phasing out of petrol and diesel car sales by 2030, and for all new cars and vans to be zero-emissions by 2035.

Grant Shapps and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng, said the Government has made “strong progress” in reaching these targets.

In a joint statement, Shapps and Kwarteng said: “The global momentum towards zero emission vehicles is unstoppable. The UK is on course to be the fastest G7 nation to decarbonise cars and vans, and we want to see other countries following our lead.

“We will work in partnership with our world-leading industries to achieve the most fundamental change to transport in over 100 years.”