Midlands motor manufacturers awarded £31m to develop greener technologies
A CONSORTIA of Midlands motor manufacturers has been awarded £31m of government money to help develop new vehicle technology.
The partnership includes The London Taxi Company, Morgan Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover and Parker Hannifin, together with AGM Batteries and other partners.
The firms have been charged with delivering innovation in lightweight advanced diesel engines, high energy density batteries, hybrid light commercial vehicles, fuel efficient hybrid engines, and energy efficient off highway vehicles.
The overall project is part of a £74m match funding programme and is being led by the University of Warwick-based Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
Ian Constance, CEO of the APC, said the development programme would be split into five separate projects.
They comprise:
• A £2.9m project, led by the Parker Hannifin consortium, intended to improve the efficiency of electric forklift vehicles by reducing carbon output and improving fuel consumption.
• An AGM Batteries-led consortium which will work on a £5.4m project to develop the next generation of battery packs for high performance low carbon vehicles. This will help generate carbon and fuel savings.
• A consortium led by Morgan Motors will develop new, greener propulsion systems for its future vehicle range as part of a £6m programme. The new powertrain will reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel consumption.
• A London Taxi Company-led consortium is working on a £46.5m Coventry-based project to fund research and development for zero-emissions hybrid propulsion technology. The project will enable LTC and its partners to significantly increase the amount of UK content into vehicle powertrains.
• An innovative £13.1m consortium project, led by Jaguar Land Rover that researches advanced combustion and leading edge boosting systems supporting the automotive turbocharger supply chain in the UK.
As part of their submission each consortium must provide a forecast for the creation or safeguarding of UK jobs, targeted CO2 reduction and the value for money of their project.
Combined, the five new projects are forecast to create or safeguard more than 850 jobs, while CO2 emissions will be reduced by 4.3 million tonnes.
Jon Beasley, Director for Technology and Projects, APC said the announcement of the latest schemes to benefit from the funding was an indication of the Government’s intent to support low carbon Advanced Propulsion System innovation.
“Co-investment in technological developments to be delivered by industry-led consortia range from high risk incremental growth programmes to innovative cutting edge R&D, showing the UK is committed to establishing itself as a global centre for the promotion and development of low carbon propulsion systems,” he said.
This latest announcement comes just a month after the Government committed a further £35m towards the next round of the APC 5 fund.
The APC was set up in 2013 from a commitment between the government and automotive industry through the Automotive Council to position the UK as a global centre of excellence for low carbon powertrain development and production. It is a central pillar of the industrial strategy created by the Automotive Council.
The services provided by the APC support projects which provide profitable growth and sustainable opportunities for the partners involved. Each programme is intended to enhance the UK’s position as a Propulsion Nation and contributes to the country’s economic prosperity.
The government and industry have each committed to provide £500m to the APC during its 10-year programme. The programme is being delivered by a small team working across the UK from the central hub located at the University of Warwick.
