The winners of a recent £2.3 million competition for low carbon vehicle development and demonstration projects in the low volume vehicle manufacturing sector were announced on the 14th September at the Cenex LCV Show.

Over 50 businesses have been successful in receiving grant funding from the Niche Vehicle Network run competitions, supported by Innovate UK, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).

Winning projects include:

• The development of a prototype hydrogen fuel-cell range-extended electric double-decker bus
• The investigation of the technical and commercial feasibility of a rapid and cost effective composite processing technology for niche vehicle applications
• The development of novel carbon/flax hybrid composite components to reduce the weight, cost, NVH and environmental impact of vehicle body structures
• The creation of a proof of concept fuel efficient solution for small low cost leisure vehicles
• The development and testing of a novel structured baffle exhaust system for niche military vehicles
• A proof of concept modular hybrid electric drivetrain specifically for adoption within the niche vehicle sector
• The demonstration of a prototype turbo-expansion Air Charge Cooling system
• The design, manufacture and demonstration of an affordable composite chassis
• The creation of a “smart” low carbon powertrain and connected vehicle technology
• The development of hybrid material assemblies for lightweight chassis
• The manufacture of a hybrid driveline system for vehicles with manual gearboxes

All of the projects will receive 50% of their project costs, and cover the balance of the project costs with their own resources. All of the projects are collaborative between at least three UK-based companies active in the low carbon vehicle technology sector.

Up to £1.3 million was available for early market low carbon technology demonstration projects and with a further £1 million to take existing projects concepts from demonstration to production readiness.

Announcing the winners at LCV 2016, Simon Edmonds, Director of Manufacturing and Materials at Innovate UK, said:

“Our continued support for the Niche Vehicle Networks’ R&D programme with our partners at OLEV and the Advanced Propulsion Centre is an important part of our overall programme of activity for low carbon vehicles. Congratulations to this year’s winning companies, many of whom are showcasing their technologies at this year’s LCV 2016.”

Programme Manager for the Network, Rob Anderson, said:

“We are excited about this round of funded projects and would like to thank our sponsors Innovate UK, OLEV and APC who continue to provide funding for our projects and networking activities. Our R&D programme plays unique role in supporting UK SME-led vehicle innovation, which results in transformative technologies that can be applied to both the niche and volume vehicle sectors.”

To find out more about the wining project CLICK HERE.

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