More details of how small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can get involved in a £29 million project to develop low carbon vehicle technology in the West Midlands have been announced today.
Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said
earlier this month that the region was to become a
Low Carbon Economic Area for Advanced Automotive Engineering, receiving £19 million to invest in a programme aimed at accelerating the development and introduction of next generation
low carbon vehicles.
Today’s announcement at the Heritage Motor Centre in Warwickshire, explained how the £19 million for the
Low Carbon Vehicle Technology Project (LCVTP) – along with an extra £10 million from the project’s industry partners – will be divvied up between 15 separate technical
R&D workstreams.
Tata Motors, Zytek, Ricardo and Jaguar Land Rover to lead R&D workstreamsEach of these workstreams has a lead partner – either Tata Motors, Zytek, Ricardo, Jaguar Land Rover, WMG (formerly Warwick Manufacturing Group) or Coventry University – which will work closely with selected
SMEs to develop solutions for advancing low carbon vehicle
production.
Although SME representatives were amongst the 150 attending today’s announcement, a spokesperson said none of the eventual SME partners have yet been chosen.
“Each of the lead partners are responsible for identifying the SMEs they want to work with. This is essentially a call to action today, to show them what there is and how they can get involved with it,” he explained.
Project director John O’Connor from WMG (which is leading three of the project’s workstreams) said at the launch: “Today we have announced details of the LCVTP’s 15 workstreams and the project partners have shared their low carbon vehicle technology plans, the aim being to secure active participation from forward-thinking businesses across the UK.
“All of the businesses present are expert in their chosen fields and have been invited to register their interest in working alongside these globally recognised organisations over the next five years to develop tangible, market-ready technologies that will revolutionise how vehicles are powered and manufactured in the future.”
Other companies from across the UK with relevant expertise and the desire to get involved are also invited to register their interest.
Low carbon vehicle technology is forging "new alliances"Dr Geoff Davis, business development director at MIRA, which is acting as support partner on a number of the workstreams, added: “There’s no one technology that will deliver a low carbon future. It requires a fundamental reassessment of how we approach vehicle engineering; from advanced battery and motor technology for efficient propulsion, light weight materials and aerodynamics to minimize lost
energy, through to intelligent control systems for
efficient operation in urban environments [...]
“The need for completely new components, sourced from new partners and assembled into new modules is forging new alliances. If we are adept in this time of change, this
region will emerge stronger than ever as the primary source of low carbon technology for the global marketplace.”
Low Carbon Vehicle Technology Project could deliver 11,000 jobs by 2020
It is anticipated that the LCVTP will create between 3,000 and 11,500 jobs in the UK by 2020, the majority in the West Midlands – as well as safeguarding jobs in the
supply chain as businesses switch to low carbon opportunities.
Estimates for what the project is likely to deliver in money terms range from £690 million to £2.8 billion.
The 15 workstreams that the LCVTP will tackle are: battery cells and pack; drive motors; power electronics; high voltage electrical distribution; auxiliary power units; vehicle supervisory control; lightweight structures; vehicle dynamics and traction control; high efficiency heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and system cooling; reduction of parasitic losses;
waste energy and energy storage; aerodynamic performance; human machine interface (HMI) engineering; large saloon vehicle; and optimised electric vehicle package.
SMEs interested in getting involved should email
lowcarbon@warwick.ac.uk.
Related news:Green vehicle newsGreen R&D newsGreen SME newsRelated links:www.advantagewm.co.ukwww.mira.co.ukwww.ricardo.comwww.tatamotors.com