Aston Martin Advances with £6M Government Grant for Eco-friendly Aluminium in Future Cars
The UK Government has awarded Aston Martin £6 million to enhance the sustainability of its supply chain, significantly advancing the development of eco-friendly, lightweight aluminium castings for future vehicles.
The funding, allocated through a competitive selection by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), will propel Project PIVOT, a collaborative initiative spearheaded by Coventry-based aluminium supplier Sarginsons, with support from Aston Martin. This innovative project aims to transform the global casting industry by redesigning aluminium castings to reduce weight and carbon emissions and streamline production, incorporating 100% recycled material.
This recent financial support marks another milestone in Aston Martin’s ‘Racing—green. 's sustainability strategy, which targets environmental improvements across the company’s supply chain. In August, Aston Martin joined Drive Sustainability, a collective of 16 car manufacturers managed by CSR Europe, focused on enhancing the social, ethical, and’ social, ethical, and environmental standards.
Roberto Fedeli, Aston Martin’s Group Chief Technology Officer, highlighted the significance of the APC’s funding: “This substantial grant from the APC greatly enhances Project PIVOT’s potential to develop advanced, low-carbon alloys using cutting-edge metal solidification and digital-twin simulations. These efforts will increase the recycled content in our car models. We are eager to advance this project with Sarginsons and our other partners, and we appreciate the APC’s ongoing support following their recent backing of our electrification efforts.”
Chief Executive at APC, Ian Constance, commented on the funding’s broader impact: “These cooperative projects will push forward the UK's leadership in automotive production. From pioneering sustainable materials to developing advanced electronics and intelligent software systems, we must continue to show how pivotal the automotive sector is to the nation’s net-zero objectives and demonstrate its appeal as an investment opportunity.”
Aston Martin is also developing alternatives to traditional internal combustion engines, moving towards a hybrid approach that will introduce plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles. Valhalla, the first of these innovative models, is set to start total production later this year and begin deliveries in 2025.
