Mid Wales businesses pioneering electric car innovation

On Monday 2^nd March Ken Skates visited Electric Classic Cars in Newtown and Riversimple in Llandrindod Wells, discussing the future of electric vehicles and how the businesses can be best supported to expand.

Electric Classic Cars offers conversion of classic cars to 100% electric. It has worked on vehicles including the Range Rover Classic, Ferrari 308 and BMW CSi.

The Riversimple Rasa is a hydrogen fuelled car, emitting nothing but pure water and eliminating the need for batteries. The business plans to move from car sales to a subscription service.

Together they are moving away from fossil fuel based cars, but in very different ways. Both companies have plans for expansion and are working to meet the future demands of road transport. The UK Government recently said it would bring forward a ban on petrol, diesel and hybrid cars to 2035.

The Welsh Government has stated its intention to support the shift to low carbon transport. Its most recent budget contained £29m to transition to low emission vehicles, as part of wider investment in green transport. This year will also see the publication of an electric vehicle charging strategy for Wales which will outline in greater detail the Welsh Government’s role in promoting electric cars. Additionally, a hydrogen strategy for Wales will be an integrated component of Wales's next low-carbon delivery plan for 2021-25.

Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, said:

“Low carbon transport is essential in tackling the climate emergency, and we are providing more and more support to help the shift to greener methods of travel.

“This was a fascinating visit to two companies who are thinking innovatively about the future of cars. There is significant expertise in both Electric Classic Cars and Riversimple, so this was a great opportunity to hear about their future plans and discuss how we can help them grow.”

Richard Morgan, Founder of Electric Classic Cars, commented:

“Electric Classic Cars are the world’s largest converter of classic cars to electric and are proud to be based in Mid-Wales, an area steeped in the rally motorsport heritage. We’re passionate about futureproofing classic cars for the 21^st century and maintaining our market leading position in this rapidly evolving market.”

Hugo Spowers, MD of Riversimple Movement, said:

“Our ambition is to develop a world-class hydrogen cluster and manufacturing jobs distributed across Wales, so we are delighted by the government’s commitment to a Welsh hydrogen strategy.”