An introduction to the APC, the organisation behind the recently announced £100 million low CO₂ funding competition
Up to £100 million of new funding for projects that deliver significant reductions in vehicle CO2 or other emissions, compared to current best-in-class technologies, has recently been announced by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) – but what is the APC?
The Advanced Propulsion Centre was formed in 2013 from a commitment between the government and automotive industry through the Automotive Council to position the UK as a global centre of excellence for low carbon propulsion development and production. It is a central pillar of the Industrial Strategy created by the Automotive Council.
The government and industry have each committed to provide £500 million to the APC during its ten year programme with the funding allocated through bi-annual competitions in April and November. The activity in this £1 billion project will be delivered through a small team working across the UK from a central Hub located at the University of Warwick and regional Spoke locations.
The APC team brings together and supports those who have good ideas in the form of innovative technologies with those who can bring them to market as products.
The APC is relevant to the whole of the UK. It is company neutral, technology agnostic and open to all working within the scope of the strategic technologies for the UK automotive industry.
The scope of projects covered by the APC includes four of the five strategic technologies identified by the Automotive Council:
- Electric Machines and Power Electronics
- Energy Storage and Energy Management
- Internal Combustion Engines
- Lightweight Vehicle and Powertrain Structures
It is expected that the majority of the £1 billion funding will be spent on R&D projects to support the industrialisation of the low carbon supply chain.