Government announces £38m for design of greener cars

The government has announced the winners of its competition to develop ideas to reduce vehicle emissions and help plug-in cars drive further with the winners set to receive a share of £38.2 million to develop their strategies.

More than 130 car manufacturers, technology companies and research centres across the country have won a share of the funding. One project will see a consortium including Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan use  Formula 1 technology to find ways to make family cars lighter, improve fuel efficiency and help plug-in vehicles travel further.

The light weighting technology scheme will apply the science behind Formula 1 cars and space satellites to make vehicles more fuel efficient, by reducing the weight of steel components used in cars such as the Nissan Leaf and allowing a more extended range for plug-in cars

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “Our £38 million investment will help Britain become a world leader in this exciting and valuable technology sector, creating skilled jobs of the future as part of our long-term economic plan. It will also mean lower running costs for motorists and less fuel consumption, which is good for the environment and our economy.

“This competition continues our £600 million commitment by 2020 to support the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, making journeys cheaper and greener, ensuring the nation is fit for the future

Roland Meister, head of Transport at Innovate UK, said: “UK businesses have a great opportunity to be at the leading edge of the global drive to increase efficiency and reduce emissions from our vehicles. This £38 million of government support means that more than 130 innovative organisations right across the country now have the chance to get their ideas off the drawing board and potentially into the cars and trucks of the future, boosting the economy by at least £532 million in the process.”

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