21 September 2012
Published in Machinery Market on 20 September 2012 The Warwick Manufacturing Group has been chosen to house the new UK […]
Published in Machinery Market on 20 September 2012
The Warwick Manufacturing Group has been chosen to house the new UK Energy Storage R&D Centre for the advancement of electric- and hybrid-vehicle batteries. The £13 million centre at the University of Warwick – co-funded by the Government (which has provided £9m funding) and industry (which has contributed £4m) – will open next year.
It has been created to capitalise on the growing electric and hybrid-vehicle battery market, which has been estimated to be worth £250 million for the UK by 2020.
The centre is the latest move by the Government to try and secure future growth opportunities for the UK’s automotive sector, building on its £400 million commitment over the next four years to support electric cars and other ultra-low-carbon vehicles.
The centre will focus on the immediate priority of batteries for low-carbon and ultra-low-carbon vehicles, but it will have the potential to extend to storing electric power for other transport applications – including commercial and off-road vehicles, rail and marine – and branch out into other technologies, such as fuel cells. The university is one of seven ‘High Value Manufacturing Catapult’ sites across the UK that aim to bridge the gap between business, academia and other research organisations