Birmingham is to host the worlds first zero emission vehicles summit, following a pledge from the Prime Minister.
The summit will bring together policy makers, industry experts and opinion formers from around globe to tackle carbon emissions and to find ways to improve air quality.
The conference is part of the governments pledge to make transport technology cleaner and greener - a key aspect of both the Industrial Strategy and the Automotive Sector Deal. The latter will see both the government and automotive industry invest around £250m to develop and manufacture electric vehicles.
The Made in the Midlands annual exhibition, which takes place at Coventrys Ricoh Arena on June 21, this year coincides with Clean Air Day and the organisation is lending its support to the campaign.
In keeping with this, it has tasked members exhibiting at the event to champion their best clean air products and services.
To find out more about the exhibition and to register for tickets click here
The Prime Ministers intention is to make all new cars and vans effectively emission-free by 2040 and has tasked industry to design and manufacture a new generation of zero emission vehicles.
The move has not been without its critics and several carmakers have already blamed the move for contributing to declining diesel sales.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: The government is committed to meeting our climate change targets and cleaning up our air and to help achieve that we are investing £1.5bn in ultra-low emission vehicles by 2021.
He said the Birmingham summit, which takes place at the citys International Convention Centre on September 11, showed that Britain was leading the way in developing the new technology that would create new jobs and help improve air quality.
With a proud history in pioneering vehicle manufacturing, Birmingham is exactly the right location to showcase the innovations of the future, he added.
Business Secretary Greg Clark added: The Midlands has a rich automotive heritage and the growth of high-tech manufacturing across the region continues to drive investment into the region, produce highly skilled jobs and boost economic growth making it an ideal place to lead the world in zero emission vehicles.
Our modern Industrial Strategy sets out plans for the transition to ultra-low and zero emissions vehicle technology and this summit, bringing together global leaders in the green vehicle revolution, is an important step on the road to making that ambition a reality.
Following the Birmingham leg, the summit will continue on September 12 at Cenex-LCV - the UKs premier low carbon vehicle event. Cenex-LCV takes place at Millbrook Proving Grounds and will feature an array of innovative technology designed to transition the UK as a centre of excellence for the design and manufacture of Zero Emission Vehicles.
News of the summit came on the same day as the government confirmed the continuation of the Plug in Car Grant and Van Grant at its present levels until October 2018.
The government will continue to keep the schemes under review and has indicated that the Plug in Car Grant will continue in some form until at least 2020.
Dont forget to register for tickets for this years Made in the Midlands exhibition