Two collaborative R&D projects awarded more than £8 million in government funding through the DRIVE35 funding programme

Date: 10 August 2026 

As part of the UK Government’s £4 billion DRIVE35 programme, delivered by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK and Innovate UK, two innovative automotive projects have been selected to receive more than £8 million in government funding through the DRIVE35 Collaborate competition.

DRIVE35 supports businesses in accelerating the development, commercialisation and manufacture of next-generation zero-emission vehicle technologies. Together, the successful projects represent more than £17 million of combined government and industry investment.

Successful companies and projects include:

• Q5D Technologies Limited, Artifex Interior Systems Limited, JLR, University of Warwick: AutoLoom will industrialise Q5D’s breakthrough digital manufacturing technology for wiring harnesses, replacing labour-intensive manual assembly with a fully automated, CAD-driven process to enable flexible, UK-based passenger car production.
• Bentley Motors Limited, Ionetic Limited: CONVEX will localise the manufacture of battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles battery packs in the UK, strengthening domestic supply chain capability and supporting future vehicle electrification. 

Ian Constance, Chief Executive at the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, said:

The projects announced today demonstrate the depth of innovation and engineering excellence that exists across the UK automotive sector. Through DRIVE35, we are supporting businesses to move promising technologies to commercial deployment and manufacturing at scale.

Collaboration is at the heart of automotive innovation. These projects bring together businesses, researchers and the wider supply chain to solve shared challenges and accelerate the development of technologies that will shape the future of zero-emission mobility.