Automotive Transformation: Powering up the UK’s Potential

The UK is on the cusp of change following the Government’s consultation on the end of new registrations for diesel and petrol internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. This is set to ignite electrified vehicle production, creating massive implications for manufacturing investment in motors, power electronics, fuel cells and batteries. 

UK demand is coming fast. Even with modest growth, it is anticipated that the UK will need at least 4 Gigafactories by 2030. With just one 15Gwh pa battery factory – which is capable of supporting up to 200,000 electric vehicles – likely to require between £1.5bn and £2bn investment, the UK needs to be ready. The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) is gearing up to support this seismic shift. It recognises that any on-vehicle system has a long upstream supply chain. To make the industry competitive, it is necessary to form an integrated and resilient supply chain from raw materials through to the end product. 

The scale of this opportunity for the UK is significant, but it also brings risk. 

Launched in July, the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) has been introduced to support industry to help mitigate some of those risks and accelerate this remarkable transition. Over the next 5 years, its conservative estimate for UK supply chain manufacturers amounts to an opportunity of over £24bn. 

Building on the significant R&D base supported through the APC since 2013, the ATF helps to form the last part of the bridge from R&D into industrialisation at scale. The Automotive Transformation Fund aims to secure the UK’s place as an integral part of the supply chain supporting the transition to zero-emissions. The programme can provide support for investors in key electrified vehicle technology areas such as batteries, fuel cells, motors, drives and power-electronics, and crucially their upstream supply chains – the key to enabling global competitiveness. 

Working under the umbrella of the APC, the ATF works collaboratively with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Department for International Trade internationally, with funding supporting areas, including assessment through feasibility studies, capital investment support for large-scale industrialisation projects and support of late stage R&D that often goes hand in hand with major manufacturing technology investment. 

The ATF’s work is underpinned by one simple ambition: to ensure the UK becomes a global leader and the preferred location for the design, development and manufacturing of electrified vehicles and their supply chains. 

To find out more about the opportunities available through the ATF, join Julian Hetherington, Director of Automotive Transformation at the APC who is presenting a webinar at LCV 2020 on 18 & 19 November. To book your place for free, visit: www.cenex-lcv.co.uk.