UK businesses and research organisations can access grants for R&D projects to demonstrate battery and hydrogen fuel cell trucks, battery electric trucks, and hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

Forming part of the Zero Emission Road Freight (ZERFT) Demonstration programme, Innovate UK is offering funding to support the Government’s commitment to end sales of all new, non-zero emission HGVs by 2040 and enable continued cross border freight. The focus is on the largest heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

The programme will invest up to £140 million in innovation projects across the three separate strands:

• Zero Emission Road Freight Battery Electric Truck Demonstration - The aim of this strand is to kick-start the deployment of long haul zero emission HGVs, with a multi-year demonstration of 40-44t battery electric trucks. Each project’s total grant funding request must be between £20 million and £90 million.
• Zero Emission Road Freight Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Demonstration - The aim of this strand is to kick-start the deployment of long haul zero emission HGVs, with a multi-year demonstration of 40-44t hydrogen fuel cell trucks. Each project’s total grant funding request must be between £20 million and £90 million.
• Zero Emission Road Freight Battery and Hydrogen Demonstration - The aim of this strand is to kick-start the deployment of long haul zero emission HGVs, with a multi-year combined demonstration of 40-44t battery electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cell trucks. Each project’s total grant funding request must be between £30 million and £140 million.

These competitions are open to collaborations only. To lead a project an organisation must be a UK registered business of any size or a research and technology organisation (RTO). It must collaborate with other UK registered organisations. If the lead organisation is an RTO it must collaborate with two or more businesses. To collaborate with the lead, an organisation must be a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, charity, not for profit, public sector organisation or RTO.

IUK encourages and is particularly interested in proposals with micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) collaborative involvement.

The deadline for applications is 12 October 2022.

How To Apply

The competitions opened on 15 August 2022. The deadline for applications is 12 October 2022.

Applications are made online. Applicants are encouraged to read the general guidance for applicants to help their chances of submitting a quality application.

Further information is available from the Innovate UK website.