Reflecting on my journey that began in 2016 with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (after spending 15 years at a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier) development by OEMs to prepare for the coming shift to electrification was underway, but there were only limited Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) available to purchase in the UK. The first generation Nissan Leaf 30kWh battery version, BMW i3, Renault Zoe, and the Tesla Model S are the ones that come to mind.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
There is still much to be done to ensure the UK has a competitive automotive sector, from vehicle manufacturers to companies in the supply chain<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The UK Government has long recognised the significant challenge the automotive industry faces in transitioning to zero-emission vehicle manufacturing and\u00a0towards\u00a0a\u00a0net-zero automotive\u00a0supply chain in the UK.\u00a0\u00a0Not only vehicles, but also the associated supply chain.<\/p>\n
The APC was formed in 2013 to drive the development of low-carbon vehicle technologies and then, more recently, zero-carbon vehicle technologies in the on and off highway automotive sectors and act as a bridge between Government and industry. Over 350 projects later, involving more than 600 organisations, with 59K jobs created or safeguarded, \u00a31.65 billion invested, great progress has been made.<\/p>\n
Now in 2026, there are a plethora of different BEV vehicle options available, at last count over 100 different BEV models were on the market in the UK. Published 26 February 2026, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) Impact Evaluation of APC R&D programme<\/a> demonstrates a decade of strong economic returns, increased R&D activity, employment gains, and progress towards zero-emission vehicle commercialisation. Specifically: <\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 10.5 million vehicles sold incorporating innovations developed through APC R&D programme as of 2022\/23.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 67% of R&D activity would not have taken place without the programme\u2019s support.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For every \u00a31 of public investment \u00a32.20 of private R&D leveraged<\/p>\n And if I think about the technologies deployed on electric vehicles, they have very much matured. We are now not talking about installation and ramping up of technologies; the focus is on increasing volumes, improving efficiencies, extending range, circularity of materials, and critical minerals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Supporting the industry with knowledge, expertise, and insights the Technology Trends team at APC has investigated and reported on Innovation Opportunities in the various technology streams. Which has helped equip the industry with information. A few key reports for me are:<\/p>\n Batteries Electrical Energy Storage Innovation Opportunities 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Power electronics \u00a0Power Electronics Innovation Opportunities Report<\/a><\/p>\n Vehicle efficiency, circularity, and sustainability Vehicle Efficiency, Circularity and Sustainability<\/a><\/p>\n Electric machines Electric Machines Innovation Opportunities Report<\/a><\/p>\n Hydrogen Fuel Cell System and Storage Hydrogen Fuel Cell System and Storage Innovation Opportunities Report<\/a><\/p>\n The UK is now considering how traditional vehicles will fit together with Connected Automated Mobility in our transport infrastructures and ecosystems. Zenzic UK was created in 2017 by government and industry to champion the UK Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) ecosystem and lead the UK in accelerating the self-driving revolution, with the goal of ensuring a safer, more secure, sustainable, and inclusive transport future.<\/p>\n The APC and Zenzic published a report in February 2026 outlining the Future of Mobility: Vision for 2040.<\/a> The<\/a> report sets out a UK-centric strategy to transform road-based transport into a seamless, integrated ecosystem that is safe, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive.<\/p>\n So, as you can appreciate, things have come a long way during my 10 years, and since the inception of APC. However, there is still much to be done to ensure the UK has a competitive automotive sector, from vehicle manufacturers to companies in the supply chain.<\/p>\n Recognising this, the UK Government, through the Department for Business and Trade, announced a further \u00a34bn. A 10-year long-term programme as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Plan, incorporating DRIVE35 (Net Zero mobility) & Pathfinder (Connected Automated Mobility) in July 2025, which included a widening of scope for Net Zero mobility, allowing for manufacturing competitiveness and improvement projects. All of this helps to provide the industry with the confidence to plan for the longer term, whilst derisking investments through Government funding support.<\/p>\n As I prepare to leave APC, I look back at how far the automotive industry has come, the innovations that have been made, and the collaborative partnerships that have been formed. The UK is serious about leading the global transition to net-zero transport. Whether you are a global buyer looking for cutting-edge automotive solutions, or a UK innovator seeking support to bring your product to market, one thing is clear: the UK is ready. We have the expertise, the ecosystem, and the energy to shape the future of mobility.<\/p>\n For more information on the funding programs available under DRIVE35 visit www.apcuk.co.uk\/funding<\/a>, and for Pathfinder, visit zenzic.io\/cam-pathfinder<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n More From The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reflecting on my journey that began in 2016 with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (after spending 15 years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2451,2452,5,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-4161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uk","8":"tag-apc-uk","9":"tag-evs","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116334341835267191","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}