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UK Government awards £49m funding to low carbon automotive projects
Nov 30, 2020

Reduction of carbon emissions 

The government has announced £49 million of new funding to support a range of low carbon automotive projects across the UK. Projects that will receive a share of this funding include the development of retro-style electric motorcycles and high-power batteries which will enable electric vehicles to travel longer distances. Another funded project aims to upscale a battery cell production facility in Scotland. The advancements from these projects will help the UK reduce carbon emissions.

Transport Minister Rachel Maclean commented: “This funding comes hot on the heels of the £2.5 billion support we have announced to encourage the take-up of EVs and enhance chargepoint infrastructure across the wider roads network.”

Expansion of green job market

Around £29 million out of the total funding is set to support initiatives that are forecasted to create 2,880 jobs, alongside saving 15.8 million tonnes of environmentally damaging carbon dioxide. One project which aims to develop infrastructure to collect and recycle electric vehicles and their batteries is predicted to create more than 500 jobs.


Minister for Business and Industry Nadhim Zahawi said: “Backed by government funding, these trailblazing projects will help Britain to build back better by creating all-important green jobs, ensuring the sector can make further strides towards an electrified automotive future and helping to address one of the biggest challenges of our time, making transport greener.”

British Gas Business Solutions

Want your business to be a part of the transition to electric vehicles? At British Gas Business we’re proud to offer workplace electric vehicle charging points. As a business energy supplier and EV installation expert, we’re unique in our ability to offer end to end project management – from assessing site supply to final installation. Find out more about our workplace charging points below.

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Why are energy prices high compared to a year ago?

By Vander Caceres • 14 Jun, 2022
Wholesale energy prices have experienced unprecedented levels of volatility since the end of summer 2021, with both day ahead/spot and future contracts surging to all-time highs. In the last couple of months, prices have decreased but still remain high compared to a year ago. This period of high energy prices is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (see next section). Energy prices have surged for a number of reasons: A global increase in gas demand following the ease or end of Covid-related restrictions throughout 2021. After the pandemic, economies across the world started to recover. Asian countries like China saw their imports of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) increase. This resulted in lower LNG shipments to the UK and Europe. On the supply side, the Covid-19 lockdowns pushed some maintenance work from 2020 into 2021 at a time when demand was recovering. In 2021, gas production hit a record low of 363TWh, 47TWh below the previous record low in 2013. Low production was the result of an extensive summer maintenance schedule which saw shutdowns at several major terminals, as well as the Forties Pipeline System which serves a significant proportion of UK gas and oil production. A lack of wind in the summer resulted in higher demand for conventional power. European gas storage in 2021 and Q1’22 remained far below previous years and it’s unclear how these are going to be replenished in the summer given the concerns around supply including the potential suspension of Russian gas flows due to sanctions. The 1,234km offshore Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was designed to double the flow of gas between Russia and Germany (and by extension the rest of Europe) has been abandoned following the invasion of Ukraine. Gas storage in the UK is extremely minimal with capacity at less than 2% of the UK’s annual demand, compared with 22% for other European countries. Whilst the UK is not heavily reliant on gas coming from Russia, it sources almost half it’s gas supply from Europe. Hence, wholesale gas and power prices in the UK are now subject to knock-on-effects from the conflict in Ukraine.

What does volatility mean for your journey to net zero?

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Amidst rising energy costs, digitalisation, growing pressure from stakeholders and increasing regulation, organisations may struggle to define their pathway to a low-carbon future. What can you do to protect your business’ net zero plans from the challenges of volatility? Disruption and volatility are putting organisations under pressure. Digitalisation and new technology developments continue to challenge existing business models. Its increasing dependence on energy and encouraging businesses to drive change to secure competitive advantage. And as customers, employees and shareholders look to engage with companies who understand the importance of decarbonisation, pressure is mounting to prioritise sustainability.
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