Member Article

Formula 1 technology to be adapted for greener cars following £38m award

South East and London businesses are among 130 recipients of a new £38.2m government research award which is to fund the design and development of new greener car technology.

The government scheme, which was announced in last week’s Budget, is aimed at making Britain a world-leader in emissions-cutting, green technology and exports, and could see the creation of a number of hi-tech jobs.

One successful project will see car manufacturers Jaguar and Nissan joining forces as they look at ways to utilise the ‘light weighting’ technology used in Formula 1 cars to make passengers lighter and consumer vehicles more fuel-efficient.

Manufacturers, technology companies and research centres across the country have all earned a share of the money, which includes 11 organisations in Greater London receiving £2.2m and 20 organisations in the South East earning £5.6m overall.

This includes almost £500k to Imperial College London to support research into new battery technology and composite materials for lightweight vehicles; £335k to London-based G-volution for further research into their natural gas duel-fuel engines, and £200k to University College London for research into exhaust gas recirculation

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “Our £38 million investment will help Britain become a world leader in this exciting and valuable technology sector, creating skilled jobs of the future as part of our long-term economic plan.

“It will also mean lower running costs for motorists and less fuel consumption, which is good for the environment and our economy.

“This competition continues our £600 million commitment by 2020 to support the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, making journeys cheaper and greener, ensuring the nation is fit for the future.”

The award combines £30m-worth of funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, along with a further £8.2m from the government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

Roland Meister, Head of Transport at Innovate UK, said: “UK businesses have a great opportunity to be at the leading edge of the global drive to increase efficiency and reduce emissions from our vehicles.

“This £38 million of government support means that more than 130 innovative organisations right across the country now have the chance to get their ideas off the drawing board and potentially into the cars and trucks of the future, boosting the economy by at least £532 million in the process.”