Sponsored by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and supported by Innovate UK, the Niche Vehicle Feasibility Studies Competition provides grant funding of up to £35,000 to undertake desktop research and/or preliminary investigation activities aimed at catalysing innovative vehicle technologies applicable to road-going zero emission UK niche vehicles.
The competition is open to single applications from UK registered SMEs and micro companies active in the zero emission niche vehicle technology sector.
There are two streams in the competition:
Stream 1 – Range Extension and Improved Efficiency
Applications into this stream must be able to articulate how they will support the high-level objectives of accelerated development of new on-road zero emission niche
vehicles and/or solutions to deliver increased zero emission vehicle range.
Areas for investigation could include the following technology themes:
Electric machines and power electronics
Energy storage and energy management systems
Fuel cells
Lightweight vehicle body, chassis and powertrain structures *
Aerodynamics for improved energy efficiency *
Other disruptive low carbon vehicle technologies
* Must be able to demonstrate significant vehicle-level benefits to range extension, reduced energy
consumption and/or negating the weight impact of adopting zero emissions propulsion systems
Stream 2 – Innovative Charging Solutions
Applications into this competition stream must be able to articulate how they will support the
high-level objective of accelerated development of charging solutions to support increased uptake
of zero emission on-road UK niche vehicles.
Areas for investigation could include the following technology themes:
On-board charging systems
Off-board charging systems
Improving the charging user experience, increased access and/or functionality
Improving EV charging opportunities for fleet or heavy goods vehicles
Eligible projects under this competition are NOT required to be collaborative – this is a single applicant competition - but must be industry led, aiming to support the growth, productivity and competitiveness of the UK niche vehicle sector. Projects must be deliverable within a 3-month period and completed by the end of March 2022.
There is a short online video which provides an introduction and overview of the competition to help you decide if it is suitable for you. This is available to view below.
All applications must be submitted online through the NVN Funding Gateway which also contains both Applicant Guidance for each competition stream and FAQ documents.
To access the NVN Funding Gateway click here.
Please Note: You must be a member of the Niche Vehicle Network (NVN) to apply for the competition and if you’re not, you can simply join NVN for free here.
The deadline for competition applications is Monday 25th October, 17.00 GMT.