From rapid-charging motorbikes to self-driving cars: over £50 million awarded to cutting edge manufacturing projects

• Cash for cutting-edge projects in battery, self-driving and automotive research and development. 
• Awards totalling over £50m will drive innovation in energy storage, self-driving technologies, and accelerate the UK towards a net-zero future. 
• Projects include a fast-charge motorbike for emergency services, self-driving technologies, products and services, and a new battery skills programme. 

Over £50 million of government funding has been awarded to 30 cutting-edge manufacturing projects including rapid-charging motorcycles and self-driving cars, cementing the UK as the best location in the world to manufacture.  

The funding will boost the UK’s innovation of clean, green technologies, helping to create jobs and grow the economy.  

£11 million of government grant funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) is being awarded to 12 fast-start projects aiming to accelerate product development of motorcycles, buses, cars and more. With industry match-funding, projects will receive a total of £22.7 million to develop innovative automotive products within 12 months. 

Winners include White Motorcycle Concepts, who are developing a fully operational, rapid-charge first responder motorcycle for use by emergency services, Dolphin N2 who are creating a tractor fuelled by hydrogen made on the farm from renewables, and Wrightbus who are accelerating the development of zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell electric coaches. 

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: 

“From farm tractors fuelled by hydrogen to rapid-charge first responder motorcycles, these projects receiving funding today show we are not short of innovators in this country.  

“By supporting growth in the industries of the future, including through better regulation, we are delivering on our plan to get the economy growing and make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business”. 

 Minister for Industry and Economic Security Nusrat Ghani said: 

“The UK automotive sector is at the cutting edge of exploiting innovative technologies. These have the potential to create jobs, grow the economy and accelerate how we reach net-zero. This package of funding will help industry and government work together and take decisive action in targeting areas where the UK is leading the way.   

“We are providing over £50 million of government funding to support 30 groundbreaking projects. This government has shown time and time again that we are committed to creating the right conditions to make the UK the best location in the world to manufacture." 

Acknowledging the huge potential of self-driving technologies, the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is also providing £18.5 million of R&D grant funding for 43 British companies. 13 projects are developing self-driving technologies, products and services ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and transforming the ways people and goods are moved across the nation.  

Winners include Wayve who are developing methods to evidence the safety of AI in self-driving technology, supporting our work to ensure self-driving capabilities are safe, Nissan who are further developing their self-driving capability in towns and cities, and Zero Point Motion who are developing a revolutionary automotive sensor that will change how self-driving vehicles position themselves in the real world. 

Decarbonisation and Technology Minister Jesse Norman said: 

“Self-driving vehicles have the potential to transform how we get around, making journeys safer, more convenient and more accessible while also creating skilled jobs. 

“These grant winners underline how the UK is at the cutting edge in developing automated technologies that are not only innovative but have safety at their heart.” 

The Faraday Institution will also invest £19 million in four key battery research projects and drive innovation. The projects include Nextrode that is focussed on developing new ways to manufacture electrodes (an important battery subcomponent) to make batteries cost less and perform better, and NEXGENNA, aiming to improve the performance of sodium-ion batteries – a technology with significant advantages around sustainability, safety and cost. 

The Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC), delivered by Innovate UK, has awarded £3.2 million to three leading universities to help the UK's regional battery industries by addressing their skills needs. This will ensure that the UK becomes a leader in the shift towards electrification and maintains a strong global position in the industry. 

The FBC has awarded £700,000 to Coventry University to lead a group that will create the National Electrifications Skills Forum and Framework (NESFF). The NESFF will support the UK’s manufacturing competitive advantage in electrification by ensuring that the right skills are identifiable and accessible across sectors and nations. 

University College Birmingham and Newcastle University will each get a share of £2.5 million to run the Battery Workforce Training Initiative in their local areas. 

£5.5 million will also be used to establish a Medicines Manufacturing Skills Centre of Excellence, boosting the training provision needed to support growth, create jobs, and respond to future health emergencies.  

The Government is committed to the future of UK manufacturing, maintaining a competitive business environment and reducing the burden on business. 

The manufacturing sector plays a vital role in the UK’s economy and the Chancellor has identified advanced manufacturing as one of five key growth sectors. 

The Business and Trade Secretary has had extensive engagement with the manufacturing sector and continues to secure key investment in the UK’s manufacturing base, including Tata’s recent £4 billion investment in the UK to build a gigafactory, creating thousands of jobs.  

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Names of individual winners can be found here: 

·       APC - https://www.apcuk.co.uk/news/ 

·       Faraday Institute -  www.faraday.ac.uk/four-projects-reshaping    

·       Faraday Battery Challenge - https://www.ukri.org/news/ 

About the Advanced Propulsion Centre  

 The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) collaborates with UK government, the automotive industry and academia to accelerate the industrialisation of technologies, supporting the transition to deliver net-zero emission vehicles.   

Since its foundation in 2013, APC has funded 199 low-carbon projects involving 450 partners, working with companies of all sizes, and will have helped to create or safeguard over 55,000 jobs in the UK. The technologies developed in these projects are projected to save over 350 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of removing the lifetime emissions from 14.1 million cars.  

With its deep sector expertise and cutting-edge knowledge of new propulsion technologies, APC’s role in building and advising project consortia helps projects start more quickly and deliver increased value. In the longer term, its work to drive innovation and encourage collaboration is building the foundations for a successful and sustainable UK automotive industry.  

In 2019 the UK government committed the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to accelerate the development of a net-zero vehicle supply chain, enabling UK-based manufacturers to serve global markets. ATF investments are awarded through the APC to support strategically important UK capital and R&D investments that will enable companies involved in batteries, motors and drives, power electronics, fuel cells, and associated supply chains to anchor their future.    

For more information go to apcuk.co.uk or follow us @theapcuk on Twitter and Advanced Propulsion Centre UK on LinkedIn. 

About Innovate UK 

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s innovation agency. We work to create a better future by inspiring, involving and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. 

With an annual budget of over £1billion we provide businesses with the expertise, facilities and funding they need to test, demonstrate and evolve their ideas, driving UK productivity and economic growth. 

Find out more at https://www.ukri.org/councils/innovate-uk  

About the Faraday Institution 

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research, skills development, market analysis, and early-stage commercialisation. Bringing together expertise from universities and industry, the Faraday Institution endeavours to make the UK the go-to place for the research and development of new electrical storage technologies for both the automotive and wider relevant sectors. Headquartered at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, the Faraday Institution is a registered charity with an independent board of trustees, and a delivery partner for the Faraday Battery Challenge. 

For more information on the Faraday Institution, visit www.faraday.ac.uk and follow @FaradayInst on twitter. 

About the Faraday Battery Challenge 

The Faraday Battery Challenge (FBC), delivered by Innovate UK, is a £541 million UKRI Challenge Fund investment, delivering a mission-led, research and innovation programme that covers "Lab to Factory" development, cutting-edge research, national scale-up infrastructure, and skills and training.  

The FBC seeks to address market failures in road transport decarbonisation and to attract investors to the UK's battery industry. By leveraging scientific strength, with our delivery partners: Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) and Innovate UK, we are building an ecosystem that supports industry growth and ensures UK prosperity.  

About UK Research and Innovation 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK, with a budget of around £8 billion. It is composed of seven disciplinary research councils, Innovate UK and Research England.  We operate across the whole country and work with our many partners in higher education, research organisations businesses, government, and charities.   

Our vision is for an outstanding research and innovation system in the UK that gives everyone the opportunity to contribute and to benefit, enriching lives locally, nationally and internationally.  Our mission is to convene, catalyse and invest in close collaboration with others to build a thriving. 

About University College Birmingham   

University College Birmingham’s mission is to ensure its students can follow their passion, while learning the industry skills employers want from graduates that meet today’s skills agenda.    

Enterprise and practical experience are a key focus across the University’s degree courses, covering the areas of health and nursing, education, sport and physiotherapy, business and tourism, computing and cyber security, engineering and sustainable construction, food, and creative services.   

About Newcastle University  

Newcastle University, UK, is a thriving international community of more than 28,000 students from over 130 countries worldwide. As a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities in the UK, Newcastle has a world-class reputation for research excellence in the fields of medicine, science and engineering, social sciences and the humanities. Its academics are sharply focused on responding to the major challenges facing society today. Research and teaching are world-leading in areas as diverse as health, culture, technology and the environment.   

About Coventry University 

Coventry University is a global, modern university with a mission of Creating Better Futures. We were founded by entrepreneurs and industrialists in 1843 as the Coventry School of Design and we continue to have strong links with the public and private sector, providing job-ready graduates with the skills and creative thinking to improve their communities.   

With a proud tradition of innovative teaching and learning, Coventry University has world-class campus facilities, the UK’s first standalone 5G network and a digital community of learning. Our students are part of a global network that has 50,000 learners studying Coventry University degrees in more than 40 different countries and partnerships with 140 higher education providers worldwide.