Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of which UK-based industries, other than wind farms and electric vehicles, are dependent on the supply of lithium-ion batteries.
Answered by Graham Stuart
According to projections from a June 2022 report by the Faraday Institution, in 2040 lithium-ion batteries manufactured for private cars and light commercial vehicles will account for around 80% of total UK battery demand, with the remainder manufactured for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), buses, micromobility and grid storage:
https://www.faraday.ac.uk/news-ev-battery-prod-2040-update-june2022/.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to Britishvolt entering into administration, what steps they are taking to ensure the secure and sustainable supply of electric vehicle batteries to British manufacturers.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government remains committed to Levelling Up and is actively engaging with companies to secure investments that will ensure the UK remains a world leader in automotive manufacturing.
We continue to work through the Automotive Transition Fund (ATF) to progress plans to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK, which includes unlocking private investment in gigafactories, battery material supply chains, motors, power electronics, and fuel cell systems.
We have invested record sums in battery R&D – last October we announced a record £211 million uplift for the Faraday Battery Challenge, which brought the overall budget of this ambitious programme to £541 million. We recently awarded £27.6 million from this funding to 17 UK projects to support innovation in EV battery technology.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an estimate of how many gigafactories manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles there will be in 2030..
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Through the Automotive Transformation Fund, Government is supporting R&D and capital investments across strategically important parts of the electric vehicle supply chain, and the Government has prioritised securing investment in battery cell gigafactories. This is key for anchoring the mass manufacture of electric vehicles in the UK, safeguarding jobs, and driving emissions to net zero by 2050.
Asked by: Liam Fox (Conservative - North Somerset)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the strength of China’s role in the rare earth mineral supply chain on the supply of electric vehicles in the UK.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The automotive sector relies on rare earths for magnets in electric vehicle motors, and other critical minerals – like lithium, graphite and cobalt – for batteries.
Of the 18 critical minerals defined in the UK criticality assessment, China is the largest producer for 12 of them as refined products. China produced 76% of rare earth elements between 2016 and 2020.[1]
We are working closely with international partners in the G7, International Energy Agency and Mineral Security Partnership to strengthen and diversify our critical mineral supply chains and improve environmental and social governance – including engaging with China to achieve our objectives.
[1] British Geological Survey, World Mineral Statistics Database 2022
Asked by: Baroness Scott of Needham Market (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 1 December (HL3482), whether they can provide a breakdown of the £194 million grant by (1) hydrogen fuel cells, (2) other electric battery technologies, (3) hydrogen combustion, (4) synthetic liquid fuels, and (5) biofuels.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A breakdown of ATI Programme R&D grants awarded, by individual project, are set out in the table below. Co-funded R&D project supported through the ATI Programme typically involve a range of collaborators including industry partners, universities and research organisations (the ATI Programme has an average of 4 partners per project). Further project information and descriptions can be found on UKRI’s Gateway to Research (gtr.ukri.org) and the ATI website (ati.org.uk)
ACCEL (Rolls-Royce) – battery-electric powertrain | £3.4m |
AEDD (Vertical Aerospace) – diagnostic charge device for aircraft batteries | £1.2m |
AEMTA (Safran) – electro-mechanical systems for moving electrical motors and machines | £3.1m |
AEPEC (Safran) – electrical power systems | £10.8m |
AEROBAT (Rolls-Royce) – battery modules for all-electric propulsion systems | £7.3m |
AeroMC (Safran) – electric and hybrid propulsion and power controls | £14.9m |
E-HAV1 (Hybrid Air Vehicles) – electric propulsion system technologies | £1.1m |
EMPAS (QinetiQ) – electric motors for jet engines | £1.2m |
Feasibility Analysis and Modelling of MgB2 Superconducting Electrical Power Machines (Epoch Wires) – electric machines for future aircraft | £0.25m |
FRESSON (Cranfield Aerospace Solutions) – electric (hydrogen fuel cell) propulsion system | £9.6m |
H2GEAR (GKN Aerospace) – Liquid hydrogen (fuel cell) propulsion system | £27.2m |
HEPBAS (Electroflight) – electric drivetrain and battery systems | £0.4m |
HEPBAS (Electroflight) – electric propulsion battery systems | £0.35m |
HIDASP (MicroLink Devices) – solar fuel cells for electric aircraft | £3.0m |
HYFLY (Airbus) – airframe integration for hybrid electric demonstrator | £14m |
HYFLYER (ZeroAvia) – hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system | £2.7m |
HYFLYER 2 (ZeroAvia) – hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system | £12.3m |
IDP (Vertical Aerospace) – key technologies for battery-electric flying taxi | £11.9m |
INCEPTION (Blue Bear) – all electric propulsion module using batteries and fuel cells | £2.9m |
IPCCA (Collins) – architecture for motor drive electronics | £2.4m |
IPPA (Airbus) – identify key technologies enabling more electrical aircraft | £4.2m |
LACS (Blue Dolphin UK) | £0.32m |
LAMPS (Collins Aerospace) – power electronics and motors | £1.3m |
MEGAFLIGHT (Rolls-Royce) – propulsion system for hybrid electric demonstrator | £17.2m |
SMPP (Safran) – electrical systems for more electric aircraft | £12.2m |
SREEV (Advanced Innovative Engineering) – Hybrid power units for UAVs | £0.53m |
UTOPEA (Evolito/YASA) – electric motors and power electronics | £5.5m |
ZEST-1 (Airbus) – initial steps towards large hydrogen-powered aircraft | £19.5m |
ZIP (Airbus) – key technologies for high altitude satellites | £3.6m |
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing Government support for the (a) electric vehicle and (b) vehicle batteries manufacturing industries to help meet the Government's net zero targets.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are determined to ensure the UK remains one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing as we transition to electric vehicles. As part of this, we continue to work with investors through the Automotive Transformation Fund to progress plans to build a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK. In 2021 the Net Zero Strategy announced £350 of funding in the Automotive Transformation Fund. This funding is additional to the £500m announced in 2020 for this programme as part of the 10 Point Plan.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote research into electric vehicle charging road technology; and what assessment he has made of that technology's potential environmental benefits.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has committed £40 million in projects to support innovation in wireless and on-street electric vehicle charging technology
£10 million of this investment is supporting the trial of wireless charging technologies. This includes £3.4 million for charging taxis wirelessly in Nottingham, enabling drivers to “top-up” charge while waiting for their next fare. This project considers whether wireless charging can deliver additional environmental benefits for heavily utilised electric vehicles by reducing the need for large batteries or range extender engines
Wireless charging potentially has several other commercial and consumer experience benefits, including improved accessibility.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what mechanisms he has identified to improve domestic critical metals recovery which are more (a) accessible and (b) short-term than the recovery of metals from electric vehicles.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As part of the commitment to improve critical mineral supply chain resilience, the Government will look at ways to promote recycling and recovery by exploring regulatory interventions to promote re-use, recycling, and recovery of critical minerals. The Government plans to consult on reforms to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations and end-of-life batteries next year.
The Government will also access public R&D funding for recycling, reuse, resource efficiency and substitution of critical minerals and explore how Government funding mechanisms such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) can support it. The £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme includes a centre on technology metals supporting companies developing domestic capabilities in the circular economy.
In line with WTO rules, the Government does not have any plans to restrict the export of metal waste from the UK.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish tax rates for Battery Electric Vehicles that are registered as company cars, beyond the 2024-25 financial year ahead of the Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Like all taxes, benefit-in-kind tax rates for company cars, also known as Company Car Tax (CCT), are kept under review. The Government aims to announce CCT rates at least two years ahead of implementation to provide certainty for employers, employees and fleet operators
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to help secure the necessary battery metals needed for the electric vehicle sector.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government will publish a UK Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022. This will include steps to create an enabling environment for the domestic extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals. It can also support the production of key components, like batteries.
Funding, such as the Automotive Transformation Fund, National Security Strategic Investment Fund, UK Infrastructure Bank, UK Export Finance, and the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research programme, can support investments at various points along the critical minerals value chain in specific sectors, like the automotive industry. For example, Cornish Lithium has received support via the Getting Building Fund (2020) and Automotive Transformation Fund (2021). British Lithium has received grant funding from Innovate UK (2020) and the Sustainable Innovation Fund (2021).