UK Technology Strategy Board Awards £10M+ for Development of Efficient Electrical Systems for Hybrids and EVs
10 September 2009
The UK Technology Strategy Board is awarding more than £10 million (US$16.5 million) to projects to develop ultra-efficient electrical systems for electric and hybrid vehicles. This is the first set of awards resulting from a competition run under the Integrated Delivery Programme, a £200-million (US$331-million) investment program that will help accelerate the introduction of low carbon vehicles onto UK roads. More than 30 UK companies and seven universities will take part in the development projects, which have a total value, including contributions from the companies, of £20 million (US$33 million).
This is the second major recent investment in electric vehicle technology by the Technology Strategy Board, which is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). In June, TSB announced it will invest £25 million to enable more than 340 low carbon vehicles to be road-tested across the UK over the next eighteen months. (Earlier post.)
We are investing to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology. A major barrier to the widespread acceptance of electric and hybrid vehicles is the difficulty in balancing the range of the vehicle against the available stored energy. The work we are funding will focus on developing ultra-efficient electric and hybrid vehicle motive and ancillary systems that will make the best use of this energy. Increasing the market acceptance of low carbon vehicles will contribute to achieving UK and EU climate change targets, whilst creating significant market opportunities for UK-based companies.
—John Laughlin, the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Carbon Vehicles program manager
Successful projects in this round include:
HyBoost: Hybridized Boosted Optimized System with Turbocompound. A £3-million (US$5-million) project led by Ricardo Ltd aims to deliver a very cost-effective, ultra-efficient gasoline hybrid in a C-segment passenger car offering the performance of a 2.0 liter vehicle but with a 30-40% reduction in CO2 emissions, to below 100g/km. Consortium members: Controlled Power Technologies, European Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium, Ford, Imperial College London, Ricardo UK Ltd, Valeo Engine Cooling UK Ltd. Total project cost: £3,009,000; Funding provided by the Technology Strategy Board: £1,505,000.
Advanced High Energy Density Pouch Cell Battery For Electric Vehicle Applications And Next Generation Battery Management System. Led by Axeon Technologies Ltd and costing nearly £1.4 million (US$2.3 million), this project will develop an innovative high energy density battery system for an emission-free electric small city car. The project aims to produce a lighter, smaller and more efficient battery with faster charging and a higher range than those currently available. Names of consortium members: Axeon Technologies Ltd, Ricardo Ltd, Allied Vehicles Ltd. Total project cost: £1,374,000; Funding provided by the Technology Strategy Board: £687,000.
KINERGY - Kinetic Energy Recovery and Storage System. Led by Ricardo UK Ltd and with partners: Crompton Technology Group Ltd, JCB Power Systems Ltd, Land Rover, SKF (UK) Ltd, Torotrak plc and Williams Hybrid Power Ltd.
Ultra Cost Efficient Hybrid Powertrain (UCEHP). Led by Integral Powertrain Ltd and with partners Drive System Design Ltd, Land Rover, Smart Power Solutions LLP.
Integrated E Van System led by Smith Electric Vehicles (UK) and with partners Newcastle University, Ricardo UK Ltd, Tirius Ltd, TRW Ltd, University of Bristol. (Earlier post.)
Ultra-efficient electrical machines and drives for EVs and HEVs. Led by Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd and the University of Sheffield.
High efficiency digital hydraulic motor for kinetic energy recovery. Led by Artemis Intelligent Power Ltd with Lothian Buses plc as partners.
The announcement about new research coincides with news that the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is launching a new plan designed to make it easier for drivers to charge plug-in vehicles in a number of major UK cities. The Joined-Cities Plan aims to help cities across the UK to deploy a cost effective and compatible network of recharging points. The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is a UK-based company formed from global industries and the UK Government.
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