Innovate UK publishes electric vehicle building competition

The UK is a world leader in developing the power electronics, electric machines and drives that are fundamental to a global shift to clean technologies and electrification.These technologies are taken to concept level in the UK, but new products are usually manufactured elsewhere.The UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge is an £80 million investment in the development of supply chains in the UK that support manufacturing in these new technologies.The aim is to build supply chains across 7 key areas of the economy and help contribute to UK carbon reduction targets: automotive aerospace energy industrial marine off highway railDeveloping the UK’s ability to manufacture in this field is expected to create £5 billion of new business by 2025 and up to £80 billion by 2050.Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £30 million from the fund to invest in a series of flagship regional centres to develop, prototype and scale up power electronics, machines and drives technologies.Funding will support 2-4 centresThe funding will support 2-4 regional centres led by 1 organisation and based around existing clusters of activity.The winning consortium is expected to raise a further £82 million in industry investment and maintain the centres for 10 years.Centres must focus on all 7 key areas in the challenge and help SMEs to develop and scale power electronics, machines and drives technologiesThey should have the equipment and staff expertise to undertake projects.Competition information the competition is open and the deadline for registration is at midday on 27 November 2019 it is open to businesses and research organisations we expect to support a single project with a grant of up to £30 million a briefing event takes place on 29 October 2019Find out more about the process and the funding  by clicking here.