Thirty-three automotive projects have been selected to receive more than £47 million in government funding as part of the government’s £4 billion DRIVE35 programme, delivered by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and Innovate UK.
DRIVE35 forms a core part of the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and Industrial Strategy, supporting the transition to zero-emission vehicle technologies. The programme supports businesses through targeted funding from early-stage innovation to commercialisation and manufacturing scale-up. It aims to help businesses bring innovative technologies to market, creating skilled jobs, attracting private investment, and strengthening domestic supply chains.
The latest funding allocation will leverage over £90 million of total project investment, supporting technologies across electrification, battery innovation, advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, circular economy solutions and zero-emission mobility, combining UK Government grant funding with significant private sector co-investment.
The recipients of the funding include Cooled Motors, which is developing an electric motor that is designed to be lower cost and easier to fit into different vehicles. This could help manufacturers bring cleaner vehicles to market more easily.
It also includes a collaboration between Bentley Motors Limited and Ionetic Limited in a project that will localise the manufacture of battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles battery packs in the UK, strengthening domestic supply chain capability and supporting future vehicle electrification.
Industry Minister Blair McDougall said: "Britain invented the modern motor industry and we’re determined to ensure the next generation of vehicles are designed and built here too. This investment will secure skilled jobs, strengthen our manufacturing heartlands and help drive the reindustrialisation of Britain.
“Through our Modern Industrial Strategy we’re backing working people and British businesses to deliver growth in every part of the country.
Ian Constance, Chief Executive at the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, said: “The projects announced today demonstrate the depth of innovation and engineering excellence that exists across the UK automotive sector. Through DRIVE35, we are supporting businesses to move promising technologies to commercial deployment and manufacturing at scale.
"This investment is about far more than individual projects. It is about strengthening the UK’s capability to design, develop and build the technologies that will define the vehicles of the future. By bringing together industry, government and academia, DRIVE35 is helping create the conditions for long-term growth, increasing investor confidence and reinforcing the UK’s position as one of the world’s leading destinations for automotive innovation.”
