Bus project wins R&D competition

A project for the electric hybridisation of a bus powertrain was one of the winners of funding from the Niche Vehicle Network. The project will also involve the electrification of ancillary mechanical loads through the integration and demonstration of a range of novel technologies. The six winning schemes in the competition, each lasting no more than six months, will aim to develop a variety of innovative low carbon solutions with huge potential impact within the niche vehicle manufacturing sector. Grant support for the projects will be provided by the Niche Vehicle R&D Programme, which is funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). All of the projects will receive 50% of their project costs, up to a total of £150,000, from the Network.

The other winning R&D projects were: The production of a prototype chassis to validate the concept of using butted steel tubing to reduce weight; the creation of a new ultra-lightweight, low emission demonstrator vehicle using a combination of carbon fibre and steel tubing, with the vehicle powered by a novel lightweight rotary engine; the design and manufacture of a prototype advanced composite chassis structure; the research and development of a manufacturing method to deliver a step change in the economic manufacture of ultra-lightweight magnesium pressings; and the facilitating of lower like-for-like CO2 emissions, improved fuel economy and increased range for electric vehicles.

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