The roadmaps that form the basis for technologies supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre
Up to £100 million of funding is currently available from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) for projects that deliver significant reductions in vehicle CO2 or other emissions – as long as the projects are aligned with the Automotive Council propulsion roadmaps. So what technologies are covered by these roadmaps?
In September 2013, the Automotive Council published 11 roadmaps to illustrate the advances that will be made in automotive technology in coming decades. These diagrams represent the consensus view of key stakeholders for each area of technology and are updated by the Automotive Council when new data or opportunities are presented. These roadmaps provide a ‘blueprint’ to help direct research and investment by academia and industry.
These are the 11 technology roadmaps:
- Passenger car low carbon technology
- Commercial and off-road technology
- Bus technology
- Lightweight vehicle and powertrain technology
- Powertrain (internal combustion engine) technology
- Power electronics technology
- Traction motors & generators technology (<40kW)
- Traction motors & generators technology (>100kW)
- Energy storage Echem technology
- Intelligent mobility technology
- Motorsport technology
As an example, the passenger car low carbon technology roadmap shows how there will be a gradual progression, between today and 2040, from passenger cars predominantly being powered by internal combustion engines, to micro/mild hybrids, full hybrids, plug-in hybrids, mass market EVs, ultimately to fuel cell vehicles.
Although there are roadmaps for 11 different technologies, and there are five strategic technologies for the UK automotive industry (internal combustion engines; electric machines and power electronics; energy storage and energy management; lightweight vehicle and powertrain structures; and intelligent mobility), the different technologies will work together. For example, the plug-in vehicles that are already being brought to market today will be more common in 10 years’ time, with more efficient internal combustion engines together with electric motors, batteries and control systems featuring advanced technologies, all housed in a lighter weight structure.