Over £12 million is to be invested by the government-backed Technology Strategy Board to develop new technology that will speed up the reduction of CO2 emissions from road vehicles.
The investment will be made in sixteen proof of concept studies, which will last up to one year, and six longer-running full research and development projects. The total value of the research will be in the region of £25 million, with the remaining funding provided by the UK organisations taking part in the work.
John Laughlin, the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Carbon Vehicles programme manager, commented: “This investment is part of our ongoing strategy to put the UK at the forefront of low carbon vehicle technology.
“We are funding innovative projects in a number of key areas which include internal combustion engine technologies, energy storage and management, lightweight structures and new propulsion technologies. The work will help to accelerate the reduction of carbon emissions and deliver mass-market low carbon road vehicles within 5 to 15 years.
“In addition to helping to meet UK and EU climate change targets, we anticipate this research and development work will create significant market opportunities for UK-based companies.”
Since 2007, the Technology Strategy Board’s Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform, sponsored by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, with strong support from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, Regional Development Agencies and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, has invested £74 million in over 50 innovative research, development and demonstration projects, including the road-testing of 340 low carbon vehicles across the UK during 2010.
Including contributions from the participating companies, the total value to date of investment in low carbon vehicle research and development managed through the Innovation Platform is nearly £150 million.
