APC Spokes receive government investment for new low-carbon facilities

IAAPS will be a £60 million global centre of excellence, delivering transformational research and innovation into advanced propulsion systems. Located at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, it will lead the development of future generations of ultra-low emission vehicles and attract sector-related businesses to the region, generating economic growth – construction will start in summer 2018 and it is scheduled to open in 2020.

The Institute will exploit the engineering expertise of the University of Bath for the benefit of the UK’s automotive industry, stimulating over £67m in additional automotive research investment by 2025. This in turn could create an additional turnover of £800 million for the UK automotive sector and supporting nearly 1,900 new highly productive jobs.

Elsewhere the Power Electronics Spoke, situated at the University of Nottingham, has been awarded £9.4 million by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. This funding comes through the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), which provides funding for capital projects that can attract significant investment from private partners.

The funding will go towards to the development of the University’s new Research and Innovation Centre for Power Electronics and Machines, which is set to be a global Centre of Excellence in Power Electronics, Machines and Control. The initiative will bolster the University’s Beacon of Excellence in Propulsion Futures to achieve its aim of becoming a world leader in the electrification of transport.

The Electrical Energy Storage Spoke at WMG at the University of Warwick has also been awarded £5.7 million by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to form a collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover. This funding will be used on research into energy systems and advanced propulsion.

Mike Woodcock, Head of National Network programmes, the Advanced Propulsion Centre, said:

With IAAPS bringing real-world conditions, environments and examples into the laboratory, it reinforces how our Spoke’s world-class testing facilities make the UK a great place for the research and development of low-carbon propulsions technologies. Our Spoke Community exists to bring together academia and industry to share best practice, expertise and facilities in the UK, and IAAPS will allow the UK to continue to be globally recognised as being at the forefront of the development of the next generation of low-carbon vehicles.

The support and advocacy from the Automotive Council and the Advanced Propulsion Centre will play a crucial role as the vision becomes a reality.

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