invest north east england

Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles

Overview

Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles

Areas of Expertise

• Charging Infrastructure

  North East England will be the first area in the UK to have a world class network of electric vehicle charging points.

  The first 40 charging points are already being installed in Newcastle and Gateshead, where trials of electric vehicles are also taking place.One North East is working with large private sector companies such as Tesco, British Gas, the AA, CE Electric and Capital Shopping Centres to develop the network.

  This could see the creation of 750 charging points across the North East over the next two years. Through the roll out of the network North East England is creating exciting opportunities for companies to compete in supplying products and components for charging stations.

  There are, for example, ambitious plans to create Smart Grids, which will use advanced computer systems to manage the distribution of electricity around the charging network.

  With the North East placing itself at the forefront of charging infrastructure development, and with strong Government support, it has made itself a focal point for further technological progress and electric vehicle expansion into other parts of the UK.

• Automotive Technologies

  A hub for researching, testing and evaluating new electric car technologies has been created at the Low Carbon Vehicle Development and Demonstration Centre, next to the Nissan plant in Sunderland.

  This facility brings together expertise in low carbon and automotive technologies from the North East’s universities, including specialist units such as the Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice at Sunderland University.

  At the forefront of the research is a trial of 35 different kinds of new electric vehicles, including the Nissan Leaf car, an AVID Vehicles saloon, taxis and a variety of passenger vehicles. This is being monitored by specialists from Newcastle University.

  The demonstration centre at Sunderland has a two-mile multi-surface track for testing electric vehicles. And the ECO2Trans project enables companies to also test technology they are developing for these vehicles.

  Among the technologies being explored by automotive manufacturers are ways of enabling the computer management and drive systems currently installed in conventional vehicles to be adapted for use in electric cars.

  Companies in the North East have expertise in engine testing and development, and skills in converting conventional vehicles to electric ones, and offer specialist technical analysis using modelling and simulation techniques.

• Battery Technologies

  Nissan is building a £200 million European electric car battery mother plant in Sunderland that will employ up to 350 people. It will produce around 60,000 lithium-ion batteries a year.

  Battery development and production on this scale will create opportunities for companies to compete in the supply chain for both Nissan’s new plant and for other electric vehicle producers.

  Such a supply chain has already been created for Washington-based Smiths Electric vehicles - the world’s largest maker of light commercial electric trucks.

  In addition to raw materials such as lithium and injection moulding, technological development of both the battery manufacturing process and improvements in the performance of batteries will continue to grow.

  There is also a demand for testing equipment used at the manufacturing stage, and electronic devices installed in vehicles to check or monitor batteries while they are in service, as well as at charging points.

• Charging Technologies

  A variety of technologies are under development, ranging from smart meters at charging points to software systems which will enable the collection of payments for the electricity supplied.

  Energy companies are at the heart of creating technology for charging canopies. They are working alongside international partners, who include retailers, service companies, property developers and local authorities, to promote the systems and equipment needed to advance the charging network.

  One potentially cheap power source under development is photovoltaic (PV) cells which would be installed on the roofs of canopies. A specialist glass making company involved in PV manufacturing, Romag, based near Consett in Durham, has for example created a PowerPark solar cell designed as an integral component of a canopy roof.

  Wi-fi technology could also be harnessed to allow people to use their time productively while waiting for their vehicles to be recharged. Internet access would allow them to email and work online using charging point computers.

  A pilot project is taking place in Newcastle which offers manufacturers a platform for evaluating their technologies, such as smartcards for payments, and will inform the development of the charging infrastructure in the city centre.

Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles

Key Facts & Figures

Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles

Supporting Organisations

Supporting Organisations