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Over £2m invested in UK niche vehicle projects to drive zero-emission technology

September 17, 2024

The Niche Vehicle Network has awarded over £2 million to six pioneering UK niche vehicle technology projects, with more than £1 million coming from government funding through the Department of Business and Trade and the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).

These funds support the Production Readiness and Proof of Concept Competitions, which aim to advance zero tailpipe emission vehicle technologies within the UK’s niche vehicle sector.

Two projects were funded through the NVN Production Readiness Competition, with Carbon Threesixty and Muon Tech leading the initiatives. Carbon Threesixty’s Hi-DEN Gen2 project, in collaboration with Antich & Sons, ULEMCO, and Riversimple Movement, will develop a conformable hydrogen storage solution to meet the growing demand for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, enhancing storage capacity, efficiency, and vehicle range. The project will culminate in a functional full-scale hydrogen storage system integrated into a vehicle demonstrator.

Muon Tech, partnering with Rock Engineering Limited and Househam Sprayers Limited, will bring to market the VXM-35, an integrated electric drive and vehicle control unit designed for tight packaging volumes with high functional safety and reliability. This plug-and-play solution is tailored for traction applications in light vehicles and electric power take-off in industrial and agricultural vehicles, including the world’s first electric crop-sprayer.

The NVN Proof of Concept Competition funded four additional projects. Bo Mobility, in partnership with Neave Research, is developing the Boped, an omni-category lightweight e-motorcycle aimed at revolutionising niche production of optimised vehicles for specific use-cases in the new era of e-mobility. FR8 Technology, along with FPW Axles and Volta Commercial Vehicles, will create a 16-tonne low-floor delivery vehicle with direct access to the footpath, utilising a patent-protected drive system that significantly reduces loading height.

Quattro Plant, collaborating with Evparts UK and Inetic, is working on an up-cycled off-highway vehicle converted to a battery electric powertrain, matching the performance and duty cycle of its internal combustion counterparts while achieving zero emissions. The final project, led by Raeon and partnered with Eclipse Performance Vehicles, will demonstrate a high-performance battery prototype with integrated thermal management in a high-performance L5e vehicle platform.

Scott Thompson, Programme Director for the Niche Vehicle Network, praised the diverse range of projects and their contribution to the UK automotive sector’s transition to net zero. He emphasised the importance of these projects in advancing technology and manufacturing readiness levels, expanding the UK low-volume EV supply chain, and creating opportunities for wider adoption in higher volume markets.

Josh Denne, Head of SME Programmes at APC, highlighted the significance of the Niche Vehicle Network Production Readiness Competition in helping UK SMEs take existing low-carbon vehicle technologies from demonstration to production readiness, yielding economic benefits and reducing CO2 emissions. Denne stressed that the journey to net-zero must encompass the entire automotive sector, with innovative niche vehicle technologies playing a crucial role in achieving the UK’s climate goals.