Government and industry funding worth £77 million has been awarded to projects developing clean transport technologies, such as battery-powered buses and hydrogen fuel-cell range extenders vehicles to be used as fire engines and ambulances.
The funding has been awarded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) Collaborative Research and Development programme, in support of ambitions to build an end-to-end supply chain for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the UK. £38.4 million of this investment comes from Government, backed by a further £38.7 million from the automobile industry.
The HYER POWER from ULEMCO Ltd will receive £7.9 million backing to develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for electric vehicles used for specialised and challenging purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers.
The HEIDI project from Bramble Energy will get £12.7 million for work to demonstrate a novel fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain on a double-decker bus, that will be cheaper than the equivalents currently available for large vehicles.
The FCVGEN2.0 project will see Ford Motor Company receive £16.3 million to design and develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Ford Transit van, which will initially be produced at Ford Dagenham.
The NEXTGENZEBS project will see Wrightbus receive £12.7 million to develop new, market-leading technology to underpin battery and fuel cell electric buses.
The EleVAIT led by JLR will get £12.6 million to design and develop technology for inverters – a key component in electric vehicles, supporting the continued growth of a UK-based electric vehicle supply chain.
The CAVENDISH by BorgWarner was awarded £9.8 million for work to speed up the rollout of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines, as an alternative to diesel, for use in heavy-duty settings.
The ZETTA project, led by Leyland Trucks, will get a £5.1 million investment to increase productivity and step up their production of battery electric trucks.
Chief Executive at the APC Ian Constance said: “Investment into these seven collaborative projects continues the work that the UK does very well. Research and development, building the automotive supply chain, pushing the boundaries of clean technology for the road, whilst securing jobs across the country. I’m pleased to have well-known brand names among this £77 million funding round through the APC, as well as innovative SMEs bringing through exciting new developments.”
Keyword: £77 million for new zero-emission vehicle development projects