Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform

The Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform aims to maximise the benefit to UK-based businesses of the rapidly-developing low carbon vehicles market, and to help accelerate the adoption of low carbon vehicles in the UK. The growing pressure from customers and regulators for more environmentally friendly vehicles is creating new business opportunities for both the established industry and innovative new entrants.

The Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform invests jointly with the industry and Government partners in interventions that promote UK-based R&D in low carbon vehicle technologies, and strengthen the relevant supply chains within the UK. The Innovation Platform currently supports two key activities:

The Low Carbon Vehicles Integrated Delivery Programme The programme has over £200m of joint government and industry investment, and co-ordinates the UK’s low carbon vehicle activity from initial strategic academic research through to industry-led CR&D. To date, the DfT and EPSRC, together with regional development agencies Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and One North East (ONE), have agreed to invest in the programme. Further support will be sought from other regional development agencies and the devolved administrations.

The Integrated Delivery Programme is guided by an industry-led advisory panel. Flexible rolling opportunities are provided for industry to seek support for high quality CR&D work which takes technology through to system or vehicle concept readiness. There are also aligned Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) managed competitions for university-based strategic research.

The Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Over £25m has been invested in an ultra low carbon vehicle demonstration competition. Co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board with DfT, AWM, ONE and the South East of England Development Agency, it will deliver over 340 new and innovative cars on the road in the UK by late 2009 /early 2010. The programme will showcase new and emerging low carbon vehicle technologies in real world situations, and identify potential barriers to their wider adoption.

The demonstrators will include in-vehicle data logging, user perception surveys, and consideration of the required local infrastructures.