The Government is set to pump another £30million into the development of electric cars in the UK, it has been revealed today.
Pioneering research into battery technology, the electric vehicle supply chain and hydrogen cars will be backed by the substantial taxpayer funding.
Investment minister Gerry Grimstone said: ‘We have set an ambitious target to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
‘To support that it is crucial we invest in research so we can power ahead with the shift to electric vehicles as we build back greener from the pandemic.’
Green-vehicle investment: Some of the £30million allocated by the Government will be for research projects looking at how to recycle and reuse battery cells from end-of-life EVs
Some £9.4million of the investment will be spent across 22 studies.
One of these includes proposals to build a plant in Cornwall that will extract lithium for use in electric vehicle batteries, a plant to build specialised magnets for electric vehicle motors in Cheshire and lightweight hydrogen storage for cars and vans in Loughborough.
A further £22.6million has been granted to the government-backed Faraday Institution.
Launched three years ago, the project has convened a research community of over 450 researchers across 21 universities and a set of 50 industry partners to work on ‘game-changing’ energy storage technologies that will transform the UK energy landscape from transportation to grid.
It will use the cash boost to further explore battery safety and the causes of battery-cell fires.
Another element of its research is focused on investigating the potential for solid-state battery technology as well as sustainability for the technology, mainly looking into the reuse of end-of-life batteries.
Some £9.4m of the investment will be spent across 22 studies. One of the, is a lithium-ion plant for Cornwall
How decommissioned vehicle battery cells can be recycled and reused in new electric models as well as how they could be implemented into the energy grid are among the tasks on Faraday’s list.
The hope is that a vehicle-to-vehicle setup could allow the national grid to borrow electricity from electric cars that have been plugged in to charge, helping to ease pressure on the network at times of peak demand.
‘The funding comes ahead of the phasing out of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, as pledged in the Government’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution,’ says a statement by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.
‘Research into alternative ways to power vehicles is a fundamental part of this transition, ensuring the UK remains a world leader in automotive technology and boosting jobs and skills in regions leading the way. ‘
Grimstone added: ‘The world-leading research announced today showcases the very best of British innovation and it will support all stages of the automotive supply chain to make the switch to electric vehicles – from developing batteries, to exploring how to recycle them.’
Professor Pam Thomas, chief executive at Faraday Institution, added: ‘With our projects maturing and now delivering scientific discoveries we have bolstered our commercialisation team and capability and strengthened our commercialisation strategy.
‘In doing so we are directing even more effort towards those areas of battery research that offer the maximum potential of delivering commercial, societal and environment impact for the UK.’
BEIS said that the funding will ‘ensure the UK remains a world leader in automotive technology and boosting jobs and skills in regions leading the way’
The Government claims the research will lead to improved performance in electric and hydrogen vehicles as well as cementing Britain’s position at the forefront of their development.
As a result, ministers estimate it could seen a spike in available new jobs in the automotive sector.
It says investment in research and development could grow to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027.