3 min read - 14 Jul, 2026
Mayor launches West Midlands £50m electric vehicle jobs plan
A £50m support package, aiming to help automotive companies scale and create more skilled jobs, has been launched by the Mayor of the West Midlands.
Managed under the West Midlands Supplier Readiness and Transformation Fund, grants of between £250,000 and £3m are now available to help West Midlands businesses capitalise on new opportunities in fast-growing electric vehicle supply chains. Businesses are required to provide at least 50% match funding.
By applying for a share of the £50m fund, suppliers can put themselves in pole position to win new contracts, create hundreds of new skilled jobs and protect thousands more.
Companies manufacturing parts and components, delivering specialist services or providing technical expertise to the automotive sector will be eligible to use the funding to invest in new equipment, skills and production capacity.
Match-funded grants are being made available to help West Midlands businesses capitalise on new opportunities in fast-growing electric vehicle supply chains.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands is still the engine room of the UK motor industry. It’s one of our great economic strengths and why I put it at the heart of my Growth Plan to create skilled jobs with higher wages.
“This is a big investment by government because it knows how crucial the success of our region’s automotive sector is to the wider UK economy. It will help secure that success and make sure our manufacturers, suppliers and innovators stay ahead as the global market moves ever faster towards electrification.”
The West Midlands has one of the UK’s largest automotive sectors with 1,000 companies employing more than 46,000 people developing state-of-the-art EV and battery technology, making cars, parts, and engine components.
The West Midlands Supplier Readiness and Transformation Fund is a four-year programme run by the West Midlands Combined Authority and funded through the government’s DRIVE35 initiative.
The scheme, which will run for four years and offer grants of between £250,000 and £3m, is funded through the government’s DRIVE35 initiative.
The Mayor formally opened up the fund to applications in a speech at the Advanced Propulsion Centre, based at the University of Warwick. The centre is jointly funded by the Department for Business and Trade and the automotive industry to drive research and investment in zero-emission vehicle manufacturing.
Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and director for industrial engagement at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, has backed the fund. He said: “With this announcement, following soon after the launch of the £50m Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, and aligned with investments in the Coventry and Warwick Investment Zone, the West Midlands is now in a much stronger position to deliver its regional growth plan and in doing so, to support the UK Industrial Strategy for the automotive sector.”
The Mayor is also supporting the EV sector with other significant WMCA funding, including:
• £23m for a battery manufacturing and technology hub at the Coventry & Warwickshire Investment Zone site
• Another 10,000 publicly accessible EV charging connection points, including a network of ultra-rapid filling stations
• Rollout of a zero-emission bus fleet
