£34m funding to develop e-motorbikes and e-trucks

TWO West Midlands firms have been awarded more than £34 million for projects which are helping to develop the latest green automotive technology.

The joint industry and government investment has been awarded to Norton Motorcycles and OX Delivers for their Project Zero Emission Norton and Ox Delivers CLEAN projects, respectively.

Solihull-based Norton will use the £17.2 million to develop a high-performance electric motorbike, while Leamington Spa-based OX Delivers will use £17.1 million to create an allterrain electric delivery truck which uses long-life, lower cost batteries.

The projects secured the funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre Collaborative Research and Development competition, which supports the development of innovative low carbon automotive tech.

Together, they could secure more than 550 jobs and help save nearly 27.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions - the equivalent of removing the lifetime emissions of 1.1 million cars from the road.

Minister for Investment Lord Gerry Grimstone said: “This funding, delivered through the government-backed Advanced Propulsion Centre, will support UK businesses at the cutting edge of the automotive industry to trial the very latest tech, from the development of electric motorbikes to off-road trucks.

“Supporting these strategically important technologies lays the path for our electric vehicle sector to compete on a global scale, driving jobs and growth nationwide whilst also creating cleaner, more sustainable modes of transport.”

In addition to the Norton and OX projects, a further 19 early-stage proposals have also been awarded funding. Ian Constance, chief executive at the Advanced Propulsion Centre, said: “The projects receiving investment highlight the breadth of technologies needed to help the UK accelerate to net zero emissions. They’re reimagining not just vehicles, but transport in general.”