Monday 16th September 2024

Ford, JLR, Gordon Murray get Government funding

Advanced Propulsion Centre will help fund electronics, software and materials research 

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The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) has featured on PH before, allocating money from the Department of Business and Trade to those automotive causes deemed most worthy on the push to net zero. Previously it has assisted Aston Martin and McLaren in their powertrain endeavours. 

Today a new round of funding has been announced, with an eight-strong list of successful applicants for the latest Collaborative Research and Development money. It will go towards research and development of the latest green tech, aiming to create or safeguard 3,500 jobs and reduce CO2 in both the making and using ‘of zero-emission vehicles’. Note that isn’t only EVs. 

JLR, Ford and Gordon Murray are the names that stand out in a list that also includes Cummins. Each of the carmakers has received a seven-figure sum to help with their respective projects, to support their own investment. For JLR, that money is going towards its ‘SCALE-UP’ initiative, aiming to increase the use of ‘lightweight and circular composite technologies’ for automotive. JLR has received just over £3m, to go alongside its £6.3m spend. 

Ford’s pitch was Project E-Steel, which intends to get e-sheet, stamping and lamination used more widely in the industry. More than £4m is coming from the APC, in addition to the Blue Oval’s own near-£8.5m. Arguably it’s the funding for the Gordon Murray Group that’s most interesting, awarded as it is for developing ‘a production-ready, ultra-lightweight, low CO2, monocoque architecture and solutions for a portfolio of class-leading future vehicles.’ Once the V12 T50 and T33 are built (they’re all spoken for, of course), a portion of the company’s attention will turn to creating technology for other manufacturers - remember Gordon Murray Technology was launched a couple of years ago. Now a division called M-LightEn will work on these new chassis, with the benefit of a sizable £5,496,535 from the grant, on top of GMG’s own £11,493,235 investment.

CEO of the Advanced Propulsion Centre Ian Constance said: “The benefits of working in a collaborative environment that includes academic institutions and small companies, go far beyond the financial support offered, and I look forward to seeing the results of these projects in a few years’ time.  

“These collaborative projects will further advance the UK’s excellence in automotive production. From sustainable materials to advanced electronics, and smart software systems, it’s important we continue to demonstrate that the automotive sector is vital to the country’s net-zero goals and that it is a highly investable opportunity.”

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• Gordon Murray names every T.50s after a race win
• BMW confirms first fuel cell car for 2028

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

Never worked in this area but always wondered how the government can check it is getting "good value" for these projects. How can you tell an employee working on something funded this way is also not working on some other project for the company at the same time but having their wages covered by this funding ?

[Nicolas Lazar]

Majority of tax-payer-financed gov handouts never have any hard conditions attached to them. These days it's one of the ways to spread the QE.

[malaccamax]

Gordon Murray Technologies was sold to an Abu Dhabi group after it was built up using a chunk of gov cash. Maybe M-light will go the same way. I mean, you would if you could.

[anonymous-user]

Government money developing cars for millionaires and the Americans. I thought we had a labour government?!?

[malaccamax]

MrBig said:

Government money developing cars for millionaires and the Americans. I thought we had a labour government?!?

just a fact of life. We're good at niche, luxury automotive. Why not focus on that and hope that some of the investment sticks long enough to keep it going into the EV era.

[Otispunkmeyer]

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Never worked in this area but always wondered how the government can check it is getting "good value" for these projects. How can you tell an employee working on something funded this way is also not working on some other project for the company at the same time but having their wages covered by this funding ?

Presumably time sheets or time logging? On ones I've been on you had to do that. Then again I did also work for a company (long gone bust) that used to use funding to cover other things then get on other funds to cover the first etc and make up some BS to the bean counters. Yeah, pretty bad.

[Limpet]

MrBig said:

Government money developing cars for millionaires and the Americans. I thought we had a labour government?!?

That's where I went straight away as well, but on reflection, it will provide good quality jobs in the UK, and will hopefully encourage further investment from the recipients .

[86wasagoodyear]

I'd like some Government funding too please, for that lovely blue T.33 Spyder right there. That'd do very nicely, probably more nicely than any other car in existence

[nismo48]

86wasagoodyear said:

I'd like some Government funding too please, for that lovely blue T.33 Spyder right there. That'd do very nicely, probably more nicely than any other car in existence

Get your application in early

[ManyMotors]

malaccamax said:

MrBig said:

Government money developing cars for millionaires and the Americans. I thought we had a labour government?!?

just a fact of life. We're good at niche, luxury automotive. Why not focus on that and hope that some of the investment sticks long enough to keep it going into the EV era.

A previous grant 'helped' AM and McLaren? It apparently didn't do much. And 'good at niche, luxury automotive', based on important profitability, isn't evident at either AM or McLaren. Maybe those two are not considered 'we'.

The point of funding rich people's cars in Florida is a good one - though repugnant.

[poppopbangbang]

BigChiefmuffinAgain said:

Never worked in this area but always wondered how the government can check it is getting "good value" for these projects. How can you tell an employee working on something funded this way is also not working on some other project for the company at the same time but having their wages covered by this funding ?

Any of these APC projects are well audited (staff time sheets, spend monitoring etc.) and the projects part funded by these grants are ones which are judged to viable, create or protect jobs in the UK and generally further UK technology and IP. They're certainly way more indepth in terms of justification and checking of homework than most other forms of funding and it should be noted that it's a contribution to an existing budget i.e. not 100% funding and generally requires the use of UK based companies with UK based staff wherever possible in the project.

Whilst I'm quite famous for avoiding grant funding, as the organisations and projects I work with tend to be smaller, more easily privately funded and for the most part are profit focused, I've been involved with a couple of APC research projects with great results that wouldn't have happened without APC funding. The APC are a great lot and less interesting powertrain stuff would happen in the UK if they didn't exist, which ultimately would mean less supporting companies and suppliers would exist too!

[jimmytheone]

Whatever happened to the Gordon Murray T25 and iStream, as per this from 2010?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11301831

[DP14]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Because they have entities in the UK, employing people, buying goods and services and contributing to the economy and their continued presence and success should likewise benefit the country.

Similarly, British companies with a presence in other countries would be able to benefit from grants there. E.g. BAE Systems is probably a recipient of a lot of US govt funding.

That said, having been a recipient of such funding and been involved in what gets done with such funding, people are right to be a bit cynical. Getting funding in the first place is, arguably, a bit political and case of who you know, rather than what you know. It also gets spent doing stuff which companies wouldn't otherwise bother paying for themselves, so of questionable value. Just look at the projects - GMA, low CO2, how'd those Yamaha city cars and Ox work out? JLR 'lightweight technologies' . As for Ford, where are they going to use this E-Steel, not in the UK, not sure they'll be using much in the rest of Europe for too long, either.

[Cryssys]

86wasagoodyear said:

I'd like some Government funding too please, for that lovely blue T.33 Spyder right there. That'd do very nicely, probably more nicely than any other car in existence

It helps if you are a pub landlord living near a senior politician.

[rodericb]

malaccamax said:

MrBig said:

Government money developing cars for millionaires and the Americans. I thought we had a labour government?!?

just a fact of life. We're good at niche, luxury automotive. Why not focus on that and hope that some of the investment sticks long enough to keep it going into the EV era.

Yep, some of those benefits might trickle down - soon enough every car built in the UK will have twenty four inch wheels and leather luggage area covers!

[asci.white]

MrBig said:

Government money developing cars for millionaires and the Americans. I thought we had a labour government?!?

It was already signed off before they took control.

[wolfie28]

Good for them but I’d rather see the money spent on filling pot holes and repairing roads.

[Mezzanine]

jimmytheone said:

Whatever happened to the Gordon Murray T25 and iStream, as per this from 2010?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11301831

Purchased (and presumably mothballed as it was too clever at not using much of their product) by Shell.

[Terminator X]

Help me understand this - free taxpayers money for these companies to spend?

TX.

[Nomme de Plum]

Terminator X said:

Help me understand this - free taxpayers money for these companies to spend?

TX.

The USA is arguably the most successful economy in the world. It success is down in no small part by the Federal State investing in R&D though many private companies over the post war years.

Government grants/investment is absolutely a necessity to create and grow the UK's economy.

The use of early microprocessors in the USAs defence industry enable the development of the micro chips that are used in nearly every electronic appliance/device. GPS is another technology that resulted from R&D part state funded.

If only the post war UK Governments could have had such foresight.

Plenty of excellent reading available for those interested in that area of history.

The sums seem relatively small compared to the USAs funding even when compared with the mid 60s.