With the UK heading into a tighter fiscal period and heightened uncertainty over future electric vehicle incentives, Bill Murray and Harrison Hughes argue that the speed of the country’s clean transport transition will now be determined more by financial frameworks than by technological innovation.
When Murray and Hughes launched the Powered Up Conference at the London Transport Museum, their ambition was to convene the people and organisations with the influence to shape meaningful progress in clean mobility.
From the beginning, the event was designed not for scale or spectacle, but for real impact. The debut edition in 2025 demonstrated that there is a substantial appetite for open, constructive dialogue. Delegates attended to collaborate, question, and share insight rather than simply observe. By the end of the day, the momentum for change was clear.
Powered Up returns to the London Transport Museum on Wednesday 21 January 2026 for its second year. This year’s theme — Finance, Fleet and the Future of Clean Mobility — reflects how the conversation has moved forward.
The challenge is no longer proving the effectiveness of electric vehicle technology; it is building the financial systems that can support large-scale adoption.
This direction is strengthened by Close Brothers Asset Finance joining as Lead Partner for Powered Up 2026. Their involvement reinforces the central message of the conference: funding is the key driver of the clean mobility transition.
Close Brothers has long provided business finance to organisations across the UK, helping industries to grow and shift with changing priorities. With an expanding focus on sustainability-driven financing, the organisation now plays a pivotal role in supporting the next phase of the country’s transport evolution.
The format is deliberately curated—bringing together experts from finance, fleet management, policy, energy, and infrastructure to foster genuine collaboration.
The timing is significant. With the government preparing its next Budget, speculation is mounting that incentives for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure could face renewed scrutiny. For many operators and investors, the question is no longer whether to electrify—but how to maintain momentum at scale when fiscal conditions tighten.
Powered Up serves as its strategic counterpart, channelling that same energy into the policy and finance conversations that underpin progress. Both share a single mission: to accelerate the shift to a cleaner, smarter transport future.
None of these challenges exist in isolation—and none can be solved without collaboration. Powered Up exists to bring those worlds together, aligning their efforts toward a shared goal.
