With higher fuel costs, congestion charges and increased road tax for high polluting vehicles emptying our wallets, it’s good to see that some of our money is being poured towards green car projects - as the Government offered a £23m boost to 16 green schemes.
The Government-funded Technology Strategy Board will split the cash between schemes that cover everything from fuel cells to making lightweight car bodies with funding for improving internal combustion engines and enhancing aerodynamics.
Here is a brief summary of some of the projects covered:
- - Electric versions of London’s black cabs - The iconic TX4 is to be launched as an all-electric, zero emission vehicle by 2012.
- - New lithium-ion battery technology - An attempt to address the limited range of current electric vehicles.
- - A 100+ MPG plug-in hybrid - The Axon 60 will have a body made from carbon fibre and is set to make its first appearance at the Sexy Green Car Show later this month.
- - A ‘Limo-Green’ project - A sub-120g/km luxury vehicle being developed by Jaguar and Lotus engineering.
- - Hybrid technology for transit buses - Accelerating the production of hybrid electric drive buses in the UK.
- - Lightweight vehicles - To demonstrate the feasibility of mass producing cars using sustainable aluminium sheets and energy efficient recycled post consumer scrap.
- - Aerospace aero devices - A device fitted to commercial vehicles that will significantly reduce fuel consumption utilising developments already in place in the aeronautical industries.
- - Range extended electric vehicle - A project to investigate range extension on electric cars and an investigation into recharging facilities for vehicles.
For more information on these projects, and for details of the remaining schemes covered by the Government funding, check out the Technology Strategy Board website.
As an additional bonus, a further £70m has been set aside for a new Low Carbon Vehicles integrated development programme.
