The ability to provide suitable levels of passenger comfort in electric vehicles in cold conditions, whilst minimising the reduction in zero emission range, continues to be an industry challenge. Sunamp, Bergstrom and Horiba MIRA will develop an efficient cabin heating solution for electric vehicles. Our solution is to use advanced high temperature solid state Phase Change Material (PCM) integrated into the vehicle HVAC air handling system to provide a more efficient solution to electrical heating or heat pumps. Additional benefits would be to speed up the immediate cabin heating and windscreen demisting giving drivers improved comfort and safety.

Hydrogen and fuel cell engineering specialist Arcola Energy will work with composites manufacturer Permali and the National Composites Centre to develop lightweight systems for on-board hydrogen storage. As well as helping to unlock zero-emission heavy-duty transport the project will form the basis of a UK supply chain for hydrogen storage systems.

Niche Vehicle Manufacturers (NVMs) are presented with significant barriers when trying to adopt simulation into their design processes. The ‘Enabling Simulation’ project will work towards allowing SME automotive manufacturers to undertake best practice aerodynamic and electric motor thermal management simulations using cloud-based software.

Project partners TotalSim and Electrical Cooling Solutions will take their respective Computational Fluid Dynamics and electric motor simulation software and develop them for deployment on the cloud for use by NVMs.

The combined platform will be tested and validated by Ariel Limited as a part of the development of the next generation of the Nomad off-road car

Niobium is a naturally occurring element (no.41), readily available, reliable, soft metal that is ductile, malleable and highly resistant to corrosion. Because it enhances structural properties and functionality, Niobium is used in a wide range of materials and applications in the Aerospace, Architectural and Energy sectors.

Based on successful completion of a recent study into the use of Niobium enhanced metals for automotive light-weighting, the consortium has already established the technical feasibility of their concept for a Niobium enhanced lightweight vehicle chassis and suspension systems and aims to develop and produce structural prototype systems demonstrated on a BAC Mono vehicle.

LandGlider is an electric concept car made road legal, with efficiency driving it’s design, in order to maximise the range of an electric vehicle through weight reduction, drivetrain efficiency, aerodynamics and rolling resistance all optimised to demonstrate real world capability to run over 400 miles on a single charge.

MOKE International is a UK Company that has been manufacturing virtually the same vehicle for over 60 years - that is about to change!

MOKE, with its partners, will develop a new MOKE vehicle utilising the world's most cutting edge materials used in the niche vehicle segment to create a class leading sustainable, safe and light weight monocoque used across new Electric and ICE (Euro6) powertrain options

This exciting program is part of a whole vehicle redesign that will deliver a next generation MOKE capable of being the foundation on which the companies continuing journey can be built.