UK firms challenged to cut freight emissions

UK companies are urged to compete for up to US$20 million (£15 million) of funding to develop technology to reduce harmful emissions from freight.

Roads Minister Jesse Norman has called on businesses to lead research into low emission technology for lorries, as well as cars and vans.  The projects could see materials which make vehicles lighter, or improve the efficiency of engines or batteries, he says.

The Government is continuing to find innovative ways of improving air quality across the country and the funding comes just a month after the Air Quality Plan.

The competition has been developed with Innovate UK and will help the Government achieve its ambition to be a global leader in electric vehicle technology and to see all vehicles emission free by 2040.

The first of the projects in the Government’s Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, announced earlier this year, are now using new electric and hydrogen dual-fuel vehicles on our roads. By mid-2018, more than 300 of these low emission vehicles will be on UK roads.

Since 2010, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and Innovate UK have invested more than US$271 million (£300 million) in research and development, targeted at improving technologies for ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs), which has unlocked a further £200 million of private sector investment. The number of ultra low emission vehicles on our roads is at record levels with more than 118,000 registered to date and more than 11,000 registered between April and June this year.