Green power hits road
JAPANESE car maker Nissan has received a £380m European Union bank loan to put it on the green road to recovery.
The loan to develop electric vehicles - in line with Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s call in The Independent newspaper today for utility providers to develop a network of roadside charging stations - could help safeguard thousands of jobs.
The cash injection from the European Investment Bank, to be halved between the car giant’s Washington plant and its factory in Spain, has fuelled hopes that the region can emerge as a leader in green fuel technology, which is being part-pioneered by researchers at the Centre for Process Innovation in Wilton.
Around 4,500 supply-chain jobs across the region could be secured if plans to build a ‘family’ of electric cars in Washington go ahead.
Projects are also well under way in the Tees Valley to develop low-carbon vehicles, including work by CPI with the University of Sunderland’s AMAP team to develop hydrogen vehicle technology. Last year, the partnership unveiled a hydro-electric car that emits only water.
The boost for Nissan came as Gordon Brown today promised a raft of eco measures in the April 22 Budget. The package will include support for drivers of electric cars.
Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, who announced a £2.3bn package for the UK’s motor industry earlier this year, said: “For Nissan it is recognition of their commitment to a low-carbon future in the UK and a particular boost for their workforce.”
Meanwhile, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has set out its first vision for a low-carbon economy in a series of climate-change roadmaps - including calls for all new cars to be fitted with fuel-saving ‘smart dashboards’ that indicate when to change gear.
The roadmaps indicate measures the CBI believes are needed to put the UK in pole position in the development of low-carbon technologies.
They include a short-term scrappage scheme that rewards consumers who replace older inefficient cars with newer, more efficient models, and calls for the Government to buy a fleet of electric vehicles to stimulate private-sector investment.
Sarah Green, regional director of CBI North-east, said the Government using part of its £250m low-carbon vehicle development pledge to buy a fleet of electric cars would send a strong signal of its commitment to the industry.
“The UK’s automotive sector has the capacity to be a serious player in the manufacture of ultra low-carbon vehicles. But business needs certainty if it is to invest in development and infrastructure.”
According to The Independent, the Budget will include plans for electric car trials in several cities next year and the development of a national network of roadside power points where vehicles can recharge their batteries.
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