Vision
Success means a future where Scotland’s vibrant automotive sector is a major employer supporting skilled, green jobs in the development, manufacture and deployment of zero emission vehicles, components and related supply chains and infrastructure.
Scotland has already made many advances in this area in recent years. The vision is to see the following developments continued, consolidated and fully realised over the long-
term. Success will include products developed in Scotland being part of our growing export market for green technologies, including in the fields of batteries, fuel cells and heavy duty vehicles, alongside innovative new forms of personal travel, notably for people with reduced mobility. Additionally, Scottish businesses
have developed close working partnerships with other, global automotive companies.
A long-term key to Scotland’s success will have been the unified support from its public sector, including economic development agencies, alongside a closely connected community of technology suppliers, system integrators, designers, engineers and researchers.
The emergence of several industrial clusters and innovation hubs will have been driven by a strong innovation agenda, and supported by several key strategic activities, including:
- Early investment in developing an innovation ecosystem;
- Harnessing and building on the internationally-recognised reputations of Scotland’s universities and research centres;
- Investment in facilities to test and demonstrate innovation; and
- The creation of a network of post-graduate researchers helping businesses push the boundaries of technology development and commercialisation.
Looking forward, an early focus on identifying and addressing existing and emerging skills gaps across the product lifecycle and supply chain will have ensured that Scotland’s automotive sector, its workforce, the garages that maintain vehicles, and the Scottish fleets that use its zero emission vehicles were primed for the transition.
Scotland’s ability to attract inward investment and patient capital will have created growth and diversification opportunities for Scottish companies in developing and supplying technologies, enabling companies to compete successfully in the highly competitive global markets, and enabling key sectors to move early to deploy zero emission vehicles.
A successful sector will have seen Government, industry and academia in Scotland working to successfully develop global export markets for products and intellectual property created in Scotland and sold across the UK and around the world. This included strengthening existing trade opportunities and developing new markets as well as Scottish businesses collaborating to take advantage of existing international supply chains to access new markets.
After a vital period where the public sector acted as catalyst for innovation by helping to de-risk major projects through public procurement, grant support and research and development funding for innovation, Scotland’s industry will have worked to build domestic supply chain opportunities and resilience, identify opportunities to collaborate on product development, engage in innovation and encourage diversification from other sectors with established capability in Scotland.
To reach success Key players in the industry will have worked with collaboration fostered between manufacturers, academics and end-users to develop research, projects and intellectual property.
Scotland’s early focus on installing fuelling and charging infrastructure will have achieved a transition to net zero in transportation which has allowed fleets to move to zero emission vehicles, unconstrained by infrastructure, adopting the right vehicle types for the most appropriate purpose.
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