With the car industry moving towards an environmentally friendly future, steps are being taken to ensure that everything falls into place. The government recently announced that the UK is going to become an international hub for zero emission vehicle technologies, with the launch of the first Zero Emission Vehicle Summit this autumn. The summit will bring together industry specialists and policy makers from around the world to address carbon emissions and find a way to improve air quality.
Theresa May first announced plans for a new summit at last year’s One Planet Summit in Paris. It’s been confirmed that the Zero Emissions event is going to take place at the Birmingham International Conference Centre on the 11th September 2018. This news came in tandem with plans to extend the Plug in Car and Van Grant schemes. The grants are part of a £1.5 billion ultra-low emission vehicles programme that will last until 2021.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said “The government is committed to meeting our climate change targets and cleaning up our air and to help achieve that we are investing £1.5 billion in ultra-low emission vehicles by 2021. This ground-breaking event shows Britain leading the way in developing the new technology that will create new jobs and help improve the air we breathe. And with a proud history in pioneering vehicle manufacturing, Birmingham is exactly the right location to showcase the innovations of the future.”
Grayling’s opinion was shared by Business Secretary Greg Clark. “Our modern Industrial Strategy sets out plans for the transition to ultra-low and zero emissions vehicle technology and this summit, bringing together global leaders in the green vehicle revolution, is an important step on the road to making that ambition a reality.”
The announcements came ahead of the long awaited Road to Zero strategy, which is going to show how officials plan to meet the UK’s target of ending the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040.
The summit is expected to be a part of the Cenex-LCV exhibition, which is going to be held at Millbrook Proving Grounds on the 12th September 2018. CEO of Cenex, Robert Evans said “We are honoured that the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit will be linked to our 11th annual Cenex-LCV Event this year. The UK is at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology innovation and we think there is great value for the ZEV attendees to see these technologies first-hand at the Cenex-LCV exhibition.”
