SMEs pitch ideas for reducing car emissions to global firms as Auto Council secures £19m
Peta Hodge
10th December 2009
Six small UK businesses at the leading edge of low carbon vehicle innovation were today given a unique opportunity to pitch their ideas to senior executives of global car companies, as it was announced that Britain’s new Automotive Council has secured £19 million of new investment in low-carbon vehicles at its first meeting.
The council, co-chaired by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Richard Parry-Jones, secured the new investment from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and the Technology Strategy Board to fund supply chain projects for low-carbon vehicles.
Meanwhile the six businesses – Controlled Power Technologies, Axon Automotive, Brunel University, EVO-Electric, Libralato and Oxy-Gen Combustion – were today announced as the winners of LowCVP’s (Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s) Technology Challenge, with the prize of presenting their ideas direct to companies such as Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Tata Motors, General Motors and McLaren Automotive.
Controlled Power Technologies' (CPT) engine-boosting and power regeneration concept known as ‘RegEnBoost’ achieves CO2 emission levels comparable to those of equivalent sized full hybrid vehicles, without the need for high voltage. RegEnBoost also avoids the significant impact a hybrid’s large batteries and traction motors have on things like vehicle cost and packaging, the company says.
The company believes the technology could prove timely in helping car fleets meet an EC requirement of 130g/km CO2 from 2012 onwards, and 95g/km by 2020 – and welcomed the opportunity of presenting its ideas to automotive industry leaders today.
“Normally it would take months of effort to meet this number of vehicle and component manufacturers,” said chief technical officer Guy Morris.
The LowCVP’s Technology Challenge called on emerging businesses to help manufacturers achieve less than 80g/km of CO2 from their conventional, internal combustion passenger cars.
The Automotive Council, which has been set up to provide a direct link between
the Government and the automotive sector, launched last month. Today it agreed three key
objectives that it will be working towards: to help make the UK a
compelling investment proposition for the global automotive industry,
promote the UK as a base for the development of low carbon vehicle
technologies and to secure a strong UK supply industry.
The six winners of the LowCVP’s Technology Challenge were selected from 17 entrants by an expert panel, based on the ability of their technology to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions, its compatibility with the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team (NAIGT) technology roadmap, and its commercial viability and ease of integration.
Their prize – the chance to pitch to decision-makers in the automotive industry – is a valuable one.
Automotive Council chair Richard Parry-Jones, who chaired today’s LowCVP event, said: “Bringing new technology to the attention of the automotive supply chain can be a tricky process for small companies like these Technology Challenge winners. Likewise, many larger companies can be inundated with ideas of little real substance.”
Roy Williamson programme manager at the LowCVP added: “Invention is a good idea, but if you want innovation you need to implement it.
“This is what these winning product developers are doing – introducing near-term, strategically viable options to reduce carbon emissions from mainstream passenger cars.”
LowCVP is an action and advisory group with more than 350 partners, including organisations from the automotive and fuel industries, the environmental sector, government, academia, road user groups and others. It was established in 2003 to take a lead in accelerating the shift to low carbon vehicles and fuels in the UK.
