More than £100 million is to be invested by the Government in developing green vehicles, new batteries and low carbon technology.

Prime Minister Theresa May is set to announce £106m of funding for research and development into these technologies at the UK's first ever Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Summit today, 11 September.

Speaking at the event in Birmingham, Mrs May is expected to say: "Today we have provided over £100 million of funding for innovators in ultra-low emission vehicles and hydrogen technology. With a further £500 million of investment from key industries in this sector.

"These measures will drive the design, use, uptake and infrastructure necessary for cleaner, greener vehicles – and in doing so, it will help us drastically reduce a major contributor to our global warming emissions, as we seek to meet the Paris Climate Change Agreement."

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With over £500m being invested by the industry in projects relating to low emission technology, key schemes include;

• The EV Network, UK-based charging station development company, is developing 200 fast-charging stations throughout the UK, representing an investment of around £200 million

• Leading science and engineering company QinetiQ is expanding its Power Sources, Energy Storage & Distribution business, growing its team by 25% and making an initial £2m investment in facilities in Farnborough over the next nine months.

• Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co., Ltd. (TEC), a subsidiary of CRRC, has confirmed Birmingham as the location for its new UK R&D Innovation Centre for EVs, rail, and renewable. The centre will employ more than 150 engineers by 2022, with an overall investment of up to £50 million.

Also at the summit, the Government will unveil a new, international declaration that will forge the way for the worldwide deployment of green vehicles, and the introduction of smart, zero-emission infrastructure.

The first signatories to the 'Birmingham Declaration' include Italy, France, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Belarus and Indonesia, with more nations currently in talks to sign up. This will form the basis of increasing international engagement at climate conferences throughout the year to accelerate the global transition.

(LM)