£11m low carbon vehicle plan
19 March 2010
19th March 2010
Energy Technologies Institute achieves further milestones in £11 million low carbon vehicle plan
The next major milestones in an £11 million pioneering plan to support the roll-out of plug-in vehicles in the UK have been passed with the launch of major research projects worth £4.5 million.
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), tasked with developing technologies that will help the UK meet its 2050 carbon reduction targets under the Climate Change Act, is launching three major research projects to develop pathways to a self-sustaining mass market for electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles.
These plug-in vehicle contracts will look at:
These three projects, due for completion in 2011, will be delivered by world-class consortia including industry, academic and consultancy expertise. The three contracts will be led by Arup, IBM and Ricardo UK Ltd, in collaboration with the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, E.ON Engineering, EDF Energy, Imperial Consultants, TRL Ltd, Shell, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Sussex and Element Energy.
Dr David Clarke, the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Technologies Institute, said: "Achieving these major milestones sets the ETI firmly on track to start extensive real-world testing of consumer attitudes to plug-in vehicles and the supporting infrastructure through 2010 and into 2011. With the Committee on Climate Change indicating in October 2009 a potential need for £1 billion of investment in vehicle price support, realising a self-sustaining mass market for plug-in vehicles is a huge challenge. By developing and robustly testing these pathways, we aim to act as a guiding light to support over £300 million of UK investment already committed to infrastructure deployment and consumer incentives for plug-in vehicles."
Welcoming the announcement, Michael Hurwitz, Director of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), said: "The Office for Low Emission Vehicles welcomes today’s announcement from the ETI. As the Government Office responsible for encouraging the development and uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicles, we support the decision by one of our key strategic partners to fund this programme of research. The results of this will provide important information that will help in our combined attempts to pave the way to a mass market for ultra-low carbon vehicles."
The innovative projects from the ETI will include in-depth surveys with 3,000 consumers, real-world testing with 40 drivers, modelling of the capacity of UK distribution networks to support plug-in vehicle charging and detailed analysis of the economic and carbon benefit case. The ETI is also working with the Technology Strategy Board to build and leverage on the £25 million Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator programme launched in June 2009.
The ETI projects will explore options for a system architecture for integrating plug-in vehicles, electricity networks, charging points, payment systems and ensuring compatibility across the UK and ease of use for consumers. The Intelligent Architecture Group and Joined-Cities Plan launched by the ETI in September 2009 are critical in enabling widespread consultation during development and subsequent testing and deployment of PHEV’s and EV’s across the UK.
This announcement from the ETI follows OLEV’s commitment to provide grants to consumers of up to £5,000 to buy ultra-low carbon cars and the roll-out of supporting infrastructure to London, the North East and Milton Keynes, three locations also signed up to the ETI’s Joined-Cities Plan.
The next stage of the ETI low carbon transport programme will look at large-scale real-world testing of PHEV’s and EV’s across the UK to support a self-sustaining mass market.
Anyone interested in finding out anything more about the ETI’s transport programme, please e-mail transport@eti.co.uk or click to www.eti.co.uk for more details.
Notes to Editors:
For further information, please call Richard Robinson on 01509 202026 or Nigel Richardson on 01509 202084.
About the ETI:
Electrification of Britain’s roads:
The ETI’s Joined-Cities Plan and the ETI’s Intelligent Architecture Group are key features of the ETI’s Plug-in Vehicle Economics and Infrastructure project announced initially in 2009. Cities currently participating in the Joined-Cities Plan also include Birmingham, Coventry, Glasgow and Oxford.
The Joined-Cities Plan aims to help support the roll-out of a compatible national network of charging infrastructure to enable plug-in vehicles to be easily used and recharged anywhere.
The ETI’s Intelligent Architecture Group brings together global system integrators and major vehicle recharging network providers. The organisations currently participating include IBM, Siemens, Elektromotive, Coulomb Technologies and 365 Energy.
The Technology Strategy Board’s £25 million Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator launched in June 2009, recognises the considerable value of demonstrating new and emerging low carbon vehicle technology in real world situations. More than 340 low carbon vehicles are currently being trialed across the UK.
More than 11,000 vehicle recharging points will be installed over the next three years across London, Milton Keynes and the North East as part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles Plugged-in Places scheme. The initiatives are part of a £450 million Government strategy to support the creation of a flourishing early market for ultra-low carbon vehicles. The programme will help meet the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport; as well as creating new business opportunities for UK-based companies in the automotive and charging infrastructure sectors.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is responsible for an ambitious investment programme designed to place the UK at the global forefront of ultra-low carbon vehicle development, manufacture and use. This programme of support, worth over £450m, is being targeted to maximise business opportunities for the UK and to cut carbon from UK road transport. OLEV is a cross-Government team, bringing together existing policy and funding to drive and streamline delivery. It incorporates policies, people and funding from DfT, BIS and DECC.
Energy Technologies Institute achieves further milestones in £11 million low carbon vehicle plan
The next major milestones in an £11 million pioneering plan to support the roll-out of plug-in vehicles in the UK have been passed with the launch of major research projects worth £4.5 million.
The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), tasked with developing technologies that will help the UK meet its 2050 carbon reduction targets under the Climate Change Act, is launching three major research projects to develop pathways to a self-sustaining mass market for electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles.
These plug-in vehicle contracts will look at:
- Consumer reactions and behaviours in buying and using plug-in vehicles and the supporting infrastructure;
- Electricity distribution networks and intelligent plug-in vehicle charging network architecture, as well as the necessary additional infrastructure required for plug-in vehicles;
- Economics and carbon benefits of the mass roll-out of plug-in vehicles.
These three projects, due for completion in 2011, will be delivered by world-class consortia including industry, academic and consultancy expertise. The three contracts will be led by Arup, IBM and Ricardo UK Ltd, in collaboration with the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds, E.ON Engineering, EDF Energy, Imperial Consultants, TRL Ltd, Shell, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Sussex and Element Energy.
Dr David Clarke, the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy Technologies Institute, said: "Achieving these major milestones sets the ETI firmly on track to start extensive real-world testing of consumer attitudes to plug-in vehicles and the supporting infrastructure through 2010 and into 2011. With the Committee on Climate Change indicating in October 2009 a potential need for £1 billion of investment in vehicle price support, realising a self-sustaining mass market for plug-in vehicles is a huge challenge. By developing and robustly testing these pathways, we aim to act as a guiding light to support over £300 million of UK investment already committed to infrastructure deployment and consumer incentives for plug-in vehicles."
Welcoming the announcement, Michael Hurwitz, Director of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), said: "The Office for Low Emission Vehicles welcomes today’s announcement from the ETI. As the Government Office responsible for encouraging the development and uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicles, we support the decision by one of our key strategic partners to fund this programme of research. The results of this will provide important information that will help in our combined attempts to pave the way to a mass market for ultra-low carbon vehicles."
The innovative projects from the ETI will include in-depth surveys with 3,000 consumers, real-world testing with 40 drivers, modelling of the capacity of UK distribution networks to support plug-in vehicle charging and detailed analysis of the economic and carbon benefit case. The ETI is also working with the Technology Strategy Board to build and leverage on the £25 million Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator programme launched in June 2009.
The ETI projects will explore options for a system architecture for integrating plug-in vehicles, electricity networks, charging points, payment systems and ensuring compatibility across the UK and ease of use for consumers. The Intelligent Architecture Group and Joined-Cities Plan launched by the ETI in September 2009 are critical in enabling widespread consultation during development and subsequent testing and deployment of PHEV’s and EV’s across the UK.
This announcement from the ETI follows OLEV’s commitment to provide grants to consumers of up to £5,000 to buy ultra-low carbon cars and the roll-out of supporting infrastructure to London, the North East and Milton Keynes, three locations also signed up to the ETI’s Joined-Cities Plan.
The next stage of the ETI low carbon transport programme will look at large-scale real-world testing of PHEV’s and EV’s across the UK to support a self-sustaining mass market.
Anyone interested in finding out anything more about the ETI’s transport programme, please e-mail transport@eti.co.uk or click to www.eti.co.uk for more details.
Notes to Editors:
For further information, please call Richard Robinson on 01509 202026 or Nigel Richardson on 01509 202084.
About the ETI:
- The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is a UK based company formed from global industries and the UK Government. The ETI brings together projects and partnerships that create affordable, reliable, clean energy for heat, power and transport.
- The ETI’s six private members are BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E.ON, Rolls-Royce and Shell. The UK Government has committed to match support for four further Members. The ETI’s public funds are received from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills through the Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). These organisations, together with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Transport (DfT), are engaged directly in the ETI’s strategy and programme development.
- The ETI will demonstrate technologies, develop knowledge, skills and supply-chains, inform the development of regulation, standards and policy, and so accelerate the deployment of affordable, secure low-carbon energy systems from 2020 to 2050.
Electrification of Britain’s roads:
The ETI’s Joined-Cities Plan and the ETI’s Intelligent Architecture Group are key features of the ETI’s Plug-in Vehicle Economics and Infrastructure project announced initially in 2009. Cities currently participating in the Joined-Cities Plan also include Birmingham, Coventry, Glasgow and Oxford.
The Joined-Cities Plan aims to help support the roll-out of a compatible national network of charging infrastructure to enable plug-in vehicles to be easily used and recharged anywhere.
The ETI’s Intelligent Architecture Group brings together global system integrators and major vehicle recharging network providers. The organisations currently participating include IBM, Siemens, Elektromotive, Coulomb Technologies and 365 Energy.
The Technology Strategy Board’s £25 million Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator launched in June 2009, recognises the considerable value of demonstrating new and emerging low carbon vehicle technology in real world situations. More than 340 low carbon vehicles are currently being trialed across the UK.
More than 11,000 vehicle recharging points will be installed over the next three years across London, Milton Keynes and the North East as part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles Plugged-in Places scheme. The initiatives are part of a £450 million Government strategy to support the creation of a flourishing early market for ultra-low carbon vehicles. The programme will help meet the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transport; as well as creating new business opportunities for UK-based companies in the automotive and charging infrastructure sectors.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is responsible for an ambitious investment programme designed to place the UK at the global forefront of ultra-low carbon vehicle development, manufacture and use. This programme of support, worth over £450m, is being targeted to maximise business opportunities for the UK and to cut carbon from UK road transport. OLEV is a cross-Government team, bringing together existing policy and funding to drive and streamline delivery. It incorporates policies, people and funding from DfT, BIS and DECC.