Partner organisations

The Automotive Council works closely with a number of organisations in addition to industry to take forward its priorities.

Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) collaborates with UK government, the automotive industry and academia to accelerate the industrialisation of technologies, supporting the transition to deliver net-zero emission vehicles.    

Since its foundation in 2013, APC has funded 172 low-carbon projects involving 410 partners, working with companies of all sizes, and has helped to create or safeguard nearly 50,000 jobs in the UK. The technologies developed in these projects are projected to save over 297 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of removing the lifetime emissions from 12 million cars.   

With its deep sector expertise and cutting-edge knowledge of new propulsion technologies, APC’s role in building and advising project consortia helps projects start more quickly and deliver increased value. In the longer term, its work to drive innovation and encourage collaboration is building the foundations for a successful and sustainable UK automotive industry.   

In 2019 the UK government committed the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to accelerate the development of a net-zero vehicle supply chain, enabling UK-based manufacturers to serve global markets. ATF investments are awarded through the APC to support strategically important UK capital and R&D investments that will enable companies involved in batteries, motors and drives, power electronics, fuel cells, recycling, and associated supply chains to anchor their future.     

www.apcuk.co.uk

Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV)

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) is a joint Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Department for Transport (DfT) unit. Established in 2015, CCAV is an expert policy unit that is working with industry and academia to make everyday journeys safer, greener, more efficient and more inclusive. To do this, CCAV is shaping the safe and secure introduction of self-driving vehicles and services on UK roads and leading the government’s wider Future of Transport programme.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/centre-for-connected-and-autonomous-vehicles

Connected Places Catapult

The UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport & place leadership. 

The Connected Places Catapult provides impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel. 

Connecting businesses and public sector leaders to cutting-edge research to spark innovation and grow new markets; running technology demonstrators and SME accelerators to scale new solutions that drive growth, spread prosperity, and eliminate carbon. 

https://cp.catapult.org.uk/ 

Construction Equipment Association

The Construction Equipment Association is the trade association that represents the UK construction equipment sector.

www.thecea.org.uk

Department for Business and Trade 

The Department for Business and Trade is focused on economic growth. The department supports businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the country. It has a dedicated Automotive Unit which also provides the secretariat function to the Automotive Council UK.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-and-trade 

Driving the Electric Revolution (DER)

The Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres (DER-IC) is a UK-wide project to accelerate delivery of Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) solutions for global market, part of the £80 million Driving Electric Revolution Challenge from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).  It supports industry across multiple sectors to develop and scale-up new PEMD technologies and manufacturing processes by bringing together world-class technology and manufacturing research to provide a catalyst for growth, right through from raw material through to system integration.

https://www.der-ic.org.uk/

High Value Manufacturing Catapult

The High Value Manufacturing Catapult is a catalyst for future growth and success of manufacturing in the UK. It is a strategic initiative that aims to revitalise the manufacturing industry. The HVM Catapult’s network consists of seven technology and innovation centres, established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board with over £200m of government investment. To date TSB has invested a total of £310m in its automotive programmes.

https://hvm.catapult.org.uk/

Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency looking to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. They are positioning the UK to be a global leader in innovation and a magnet for innovative business which can apply technology rapidly, effectively and sustainably to create wealth and enhance quality of life.

www.innovateuk.org

Motorcycle Industry Association

The Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) has looked after the interests of the motorcycle industry for over 100 years. MCI members are manufacturers and importers of powered two wheelers and the suppliers of associated goods and services in the UK. The MCI objectives are to promote, protect and expand the motorcycle industry for the benefit of our members.

www.MCIA.co.uk

Motorsport Industry Association

The Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) is the world’s leading trade association for the motorsport, performance engineering, services and tuning sectors. The MIA represents the specialised needs of this highly successful global industry as it undergoes continuing rapid development throughout the world.

www.the-mia.co.uk

Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is a team working across government to support the transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). They are providing support for the take-up of plug in vehicles, as well as funding to support chargepoint infrastructure across the UK. This will contribute to economic growth and will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution on our roads.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-zero-emission-vehicles 

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) exists to support and promote the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad. Working closely with member companies, SMMT acts as the voice of the motor industry, promoting its position to government, stakeholders and the media.

www.SMMT.co.uk

The Faraday Institution 

The organisation was established in September 2017 as the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research, skills development, market analysis, and early-stage commercialisation. It brings together research scientists and industry partners on projects with commercial potential that will reduce battery cost, weight, and volume; improve performance and reliability, and develop whole-life strategies including recycling and reuse.

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s flagship battery research programme. It designs and manages focused, substantial and impactful research projects in areas of fundamental science and engineering that have commercial relevance and potential. Its research programme is defined by industry need and delivered by a consortia of 27 UK universities and 50 businesses – including 500 researchers. Technical targets include reducing battery cost, weight, and volume; improving performance and reliability; and developing whole-life strategies including recycling and reuse.

As an independent organisation, the Faraday Institution regularly publishes evidence-based assessments of the market, economics, commercial potential and capabilities for energy storage technologies and the transition to a fully electric UK. Through a range of training programmes for undergraduate, PhD and early-career researchers, the organisation develops the next generation of battery scientists and engineers.

The Faraday Institution is a key delivery partner of the Faraday Battery Challenge and is primarily funded through EPSRC-UKRI.

faraday.ac.uk

The Institute of Digital Engineering (IDE)

IDE is a government funded virtual institute leading the Advancing Digitalisation Mission of the UK’s Automotive Council. It works across industry, academia, and government to drive a step change in the automotive sector’s ability to innovate, engineer and manufacture the next generation of highly complex mobility solutions.

It’s approach is based on cross-sector industry engagement to ensure strategic alignment. Since late 2018, the IDE’s team of experts has consulted with various UK based OEMs to determine their priorities in the digital realm. With a primary focus on the creation, launch and operation of products in the automotive sector its goal is to improve the current automotive product creation process through the introduction and application of advanced digital instruments, making the process faster, better and cheaper establishing the UK as the global leader in digital engineering.

https://www.ideuk.org/ 

Zenzic

Zenzic aims to accelerate the UK’s connected and self-driving vehicle ecosystem, by facilitating and promoting development across the UK. Zenzic was created by government and industry to focus on key areas of UK capability in the global connected and self-driving sector. A sector predicted to be worth £907 billion by 2035.

https://zenzic.io/