The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced the West and East Midlands regions as a Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) for the research and development of low carbon vehicles.
As a designated LCEA, the Midlands will receive £19 million in government funding for the low carbon initiative, benefitting the manufacturing, engineering and supply chain companies. Key stakeholders in the region include Aston Martin, Delphi, GKN, Jaguar Land Rover, Modec, and Toyota. The development of low carbon vehicles provides an important opportunity to help maintain the global competitiveness of the UK motor industry.
On the announcement, business secretary Lord Mandelson said, “I want to see the Midlands help the UK to lead the global automotive industry in the transition from conventional to low carbon vehicle technologies. The LCEA will send a clear signal to the global market about the Midlands’ strengths in advanced automotive engineering.”
He continued, “The move towards a low carbon economy presents huge opportunities. This new funding will help secure the Midlands’ 10,000 existing car industry jobs, by helping transform them into the green car jobs of the future.”
