The UK has invested £1bn in an Advanced Propulsion Centre designed to research and commercialise technologies that will power the vehicles of the future.
Government funding of £500m over the next 10 years will be matched by £500m from 27 companies in the auto sector, including manufacturers and supply chain companies, in line with a recommendation first made by think tank IPPR in April.
The new centre, which was announced late last week, will secure at least 30,000 jobs linked to producing engines and create "many more" in the supply chain, according to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).
The move was unveiled alongside an industrial strategy for growth and sustainability in the UK automotive sector that aims to set out how the UK can get ahead of the game in research and development on low carbonvehicles.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "With the next generation of vehicles set to be powered by radically different technologies we need to maintain this momentum and act now. Our industrial strategy will ensure we keep on working together to make our automotive industry a world leader."
The news came on the same day as the government-backed Technology Strategy Board (TSB) launched a new £10m competition for research and development for low carbon vehicle projects.
The TSB said the selection process will identify collaborative projects that are most likely to result in products and systems that are strong candidates for industrialisation and will act as a feeder for the new Advanced Propulsion Centre.
"Low carbon vehicles represent a great opportunity for the UK," said TSB chief executive Ian Gray. "This competition, with its links to the new Advanced Propulsion Centre, will provide a route to bring innovative ideas to the consumer more quickly. And that has to be good for consumers, industry and the country as a whole."
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