£12m funding for electric vehicle innovation

Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has released £12 million funding for research into the zero-emission market to develop greener vehicles and help improve vehicle charging technology.

The funding, delivered through Innovate UK, will see £10 million for a new Zero Emission Vehicle Innovation Competition. This will invite applicants to bid for project funding to support advancements in both battery electric and hydrogen vehicles, as well as charging infrastructure.

OLEV is also providing £2 million to UK small and medium businesses to support their research into zero-emission vehicles in areas such as battery technology, which could be used by major vehicle manufacturers in future electric vehicle production.

The funding will help these businesses to drive local economic growth through research and development projects in areas including charging infrastructure and zero emission vehicles, which could in turn create over 6,000 skilled jobs.