On the 29th January 2025, The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, in collaboration with Zenzic, played host to a delegation of industry and government representatives, centered around the opportunities that Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM), and Zero-Emission technologies present for the UK transport sector.

Minister of State for Industry Sarah Jones MP said “growth will not come without a fight” at the APC and Zenzic’s reception at the House of Commons.

Economic Growth, Innovation and Scale-up in the UK’s Automotive Industry.

Speaking about the automotive and connected automated mobility (CAM) sectors she was upbeat about the UK’s strengths.

“The UK is positioned as world leaders; we are setting the agenda, and we have a huge opportunity to develop and grow ahead of our competitors around the world”.

She added, “we’re all coming from the same place and want growth, better jobs and a better tomorrow for our children and grandchildren. We’re asking how we make this huge transition and how we can make it work so that we can manufacture in this country and people can come with us on the journey.”

Hosted by Lord Dominic Johnson, together with members of parliament and industry leaders, this event presented how the automotive sector offers opportunities for innovation, growth and high-value jobs across the UK.

Lord Johnson said,

“We are absolutely united in the core concept, that is turning us into a manufacturer of vehicles for the future”.

With sights very much set on the future of mobility, invited guests heard an inspirational speech from Oxa’s CTO and co-founder Paul Newman, on the role of connected and autonomous vehicles in our transport system. He laid out how CAM will be a transformative “trophic cascade” for society. 

Ian Constance explained how the APC and Zenzic can support industry to deliver real-world impacts for decarbonisation of transport and capture a nascent CAM market through its government-funded programmes.

The room included examples of technology on display from:

Raeon: a sculpted motorcycle battery
IONETIC: VR headset demonstrating software-accelerated battery pack development
Oxford RF: Innovative radar sensors and systems

Also on display was an interactive hydrogen-fuelled Lego train and the opportunity for delegates to build their own hydrogen cars, courtesy of Hydrogen Challenge.