The project, supported by a £1.35m grant from the UK Government Regional Growth Fund, will create 44 jobs and allow Zytek to develop high efficiency, light-weight motors, inverters and energy storage systems for the automotive and other industries.

Managing director Neil Heslington said the investment will allow it to introduce new technologies and improve the range and cost of electric and hybrid vehicles.

‘Electric vehicles are at an interesting phase in their development, where significant improvements can be made by taking a clean sheet of paper approach to a number of systems, particularly the power electronics and energy storage systems,’ he said.

‘That’s exactly what we will be doing here, with a focus on delivering the safety, durability and affordability needed for the next generation of volume production vehicles.’