Ricardo, one of the leaders in the development of electric and hybrid vehicles, has welcomed President Obama’s announcement of $2.4billion in grants to accelerate the manufacturing and deployment of the next generation of US batteries and electric vehicles.
The company’s CEO Dave Shemmans described the Recovery Act funding as a “welcome stimulus” and said it should provide some much needed and far-sighted direction that other countries may wish to emulate.
“If the history of previous downturns holds any lessons for us, it is that as an industry we must not lose sight of the importance of research, development and product innovation,” he said. “But with the twin challenges of mitigating the effects of climate change and increasing energy security, it is all the more important that these efforts are given a clear focus.
“Measures aimed at spurring innovations that will increase the electrification of road transportation, such as those announced today, are to be welcomed as extremely good news for the auto industry as well as for society. This vision is shared by Ricardo and is reflected in our proactive investments in infrastructure and facilities in the area of electric and hybrid vehicle technologies and advanced battery systems development.”
The company has already established a Battery Systems Development Centre at its Detroit Technology Campus, which provides one of the world’s most comprehensive and integrated range of capabilities for turnkey development and application of high voltage battery pack systems in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.
