Government launches £20m electric vehicle innovation drive

The government has launched a new electric vehicle innovation competition, pledging £20 million to promote research into EV technology and smooth the UK’s transition to a greener future.

The Transitioning to Zero Emissions Vehicles initiative, launched today, encourages submissions of “promising electric vehicle technology innovations”, with the winners eligible for a share of the Office for Low Emission Vehicle’s (OLEV’s) zero-emissions research pot – totalling £18m.

A further £2m has been pledged by the government to support innovation from small businesses and organisations through the Niche Vehicle Network, an independent association of more than 900 niche vehicle manufacturers and engineering companies, promoting research into low-carbon technology.

Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “The funding announced today 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.”

Announced in 2017, a large chunk of the OLEV pot has already been allocated to various projects. In February that year, the government invested more than £1.3m in hydrogen conversion firm Ulemco to develop a hydrogen-powered ambulance, which will arrive on London’s streets later this year.

Other recipients of OLEV funding include the tech start-up Urban Foresight, which was awarded £3m to develop pop-up EV chargers that rise out of the pavement and provide a low-cost solution to EV owners without off-street parking.

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