BWM: Business West Midlands

Car Makers Get Down Low and Clean

Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by editor in News & Articles

To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of the death of the automotive sector in the West Midlands has been exaggerated. The industry still employs more than 115,000 people in the region, contributing around £13 billion to the local economy.

Over 60 per cent of the UK’s total automotive research and development comes from the West Midlands, with Jaguar Land Rover investing the lion’s share of an annual spend of £650million. Much of that research is now focused on “greener” transport.

A major initiative has been the formation of the Low Carbon Vehicle Technology Project. £19million has been pumped into the project (split equally between Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund Programme) with a further £10 million coming from the industry partners involved. Those include Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors, Zytek, Ricardo, MIRA, WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) at the University of Warwick and Coventry University. Over the next five years their task will be to develop “tangible, market-ready technologies to revolutionise how vehicles are powered and manufactured in the future.”

One of the main partners, MIRA, carries out cutting edge research into vehicle design, development and certification at its engineering and test track near Nuneaton. It works with automotive and defence companies from around the world. Dr Geoff Davis, MIRA’s Business Development Director, says, “There’s no one technology that will deliver a low carbon future.  It requires a fundamental reassessment of how we approach vehicle engineering; from advanced battery and motor technology for efficient propulsion, light weight materials and aerodynamics to minimize lost energy, through to intelligent control systems for efficient operation in urban environments.

“The low carbon agenda has for the first time in decades changed the rules of engagement in the auto industry.  The need for completely new components, sourced from new partners and assembled into new modules is forging new alliances.  If we are adept in this time of change, this region will emerge stronger than ever as the primary source of low carbon technology for the global marketplace.”

Fifteen workstreams will work on research and development projects involving battery cells, drive motors, electrification, lightweight construction, aerodynamics and eliminating wasted energy.

Ricardo is the lead partner on waste elimination and energy storage, such as a hi tech flywheel system. (photograph) The company specialises in vehicle systems integration, controls, electronics and software development as well as alternative propulsion and fuel systems. The chief innovation and technology officer, Professor Neville Jackson, says, “The LCV Technology Project is heavily focused on vehicle electrification technologies where we have a real opportunity to capitalise on some key UK innovations and capabilities.”

The Indian motor giant, Tata (owner of Jaguar Land Rover), is leading the battery and high voltage distribution team. Five years ago, Tata Motors set up its European Technical Centre (TMETC) at the International Automotive Research Centre at the University of Warwick Campus. It now has around 180 engineers, all with significant automotive engineering experience. Tata’s Dr Clive Hickman says, “Our first generation electric vehicle, the Indica Vista, will be on Britain’s roads later this year, but this is just the start.  We are already planning next generation Electric Vehicles and the LCVTP programme is integral to our plans. Our intention is to provide radical innovations in system technologies, which we will deploy across deducted Electric Vehicle programs.”

Those behind the LCV Technology Project says it will create between 3,000 and 11,500 jobs in the UK by 2020, the majority of those being in the West Midlands, and will also safeguard jobs in the supply chain as businesses switch to low carbon opportunities. In addition, research estimates wealth creation resulting from the project at between £690m and £2.8bn.

Advantage West Midlands has invested over £41 million in low carbon vehicle initiatives, including an intelligent transport systems test facility (innovITS ADVANCE) and the national ultra low carbon vehicle trial (known in the West Midlands as CABLED).

Professor David Bailey from Coventry University says the mix of short and long term solutions may be opening up the market to new players with new expertise which is then shared with bigger players.

Coventry-based electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Modec, for example, has set up a joint venture with the US firm Navistar, and is set to benefit indirectly from the Obama government’s support for green vehicle technologies.

Zytec, which is developing an electric taxi prototype (see below), is also benefiting from wider partnerships. The California-based Tesla Motors, which makes electric sports cars, has signed an agreement with Lotus for manufacturing in the UK; recently Daimler purchased a 10% stake in the company in order to integrate Tesla’s Lithium-ion battery technology into the electric SMART car that in turn has a drive developed, manufactured and fitted by Zytec.

“Zytec is best known for racing, and developed its cutting-edge expertise in electric vehicles from producing a high performance electric version of the Lotus Elise. It is typical of the trend for many Midlands-based hi-tech green firms to spin out of the UK’s highly successful motor sports sector,” says Professor Bailey. “This cluster includes hi-tech firms like TRW, Ricardo and MIRA through to small and medium sized firms like Zytec, Prodrive and others. They are partly a legacy of our past volume based manufacturing but are different in that they are largely vehicle (product) oriented rather than manufacturing (process) oriented and operate in high value niches.”

Research has also been stimulated by public investment in the region’s universities such as Birmingham (hydrogen fuel cells) and Birmingham City (motor engines), as well as the demonstration testing of electric vehicles (Birmingham and Coventry).

UK’s chocolate-powered car ‘a world first’

The UK’s expertise in alternative automotive technologies has been showcased with the launch of a new biofuel racing car.

Researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a racing car built from and capable of running on natural ingredients including chocolate, carrots and potatoes. According to the researchers, the “WorldFirst” can reach 125 mph. The fuel is made from waste chocolate and vegetable oil, the steering wheel is derived from material from carrots and other root vegetables, and the bodywork is made from potatoes.

James Meredith, the research team’s project manager, said: “It’s been very exciting working on the project and important for our team to develop a working example of a truly ‘green’ motor racing car. The WorldFirst project expels the myth that performance needs to be compromised when developing the sustainable motor vehicles of the future.”

Dr Stewart MacNeill from Birmingham Business School says the ‘Niche Vehicle Network’ is especially interesting. “The NVN includes twenty five specialist vehicle manufacturers and engineering service firms, many of which have their origins in motor-sport, specialist manufacturing, and hi-tech engineering or parts production.

“Participating firms developing new technologies are too small to be able to market these in complete vehicles for general sale, but rather aim to develop and prototype technologies to sell or licence to the big assemblers.”

As well as Zytec’s prototyping of the electric drive train for the SMART and a joint venture with Daimler, the firm has developed electric delivery vans. A prototype fuel cell van is also being tested by the University of Birmingham as part of the Science City project. A more speculative venture is the Morgan Motor Company’s venture to develop a hybrid and then a fuel cell powered sports car. Links by companies in the Niche Vehicle Network include those to Bosch, BMW, Johnson-Matthey and the engineering departments at Oxford and Cranfield Universities.

“Trust is a strong element of relations in the network: as firms are of similar scale and have complementary skills, they feel more able to be open and to share ideas, “says Dr MacNeill. Underpinning the network is the idea that new technical knowledge can be anchored in the region, through development, manufacture and testing, and policy actively promotes the idea of ‘open innovation’. 

“The latter suggests that innovative firms of all sizes need to look outside for new ideas and paths to market, as well as using their internally generated expertise. And whilst much volume manufacturing has been lost in the Midlands, a ‘phoenix industry’ consisting of highly networked niche green firms is now emerging in the region’s auto sector which offers hope for the future,” says Professor Bailey.

Title – From race track to taxi rank – full charge ahead

Intro – Electric vehicles are normally associated with environmentalists, congestion charge dodgers and Hollywood celebrities on guilt trips (although interestingly the Toyota Prius was absent from this year’s Oscars cortege after the company’s defective brake crisis) but one niche sportscar manufacturer has taken the technology and built a race car.

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Westfield unveiled its iRACER – an all electric race car destined to form the basis of the world’s first one-make electric race car series.

The company, which has been producing full and kit versions of lightweight sports cars for over twenty five years at its factory in Kingswinford, is close to completing trials of the iRACER.

Westfield’s Managing Director, Julian Turner, says it is far more than a concept.

“We’ve got one running around here and we plan to have it in production next year,” he says. “We’re already taking deposits from people who have a specific use in mind for the car, hill climbs or racing. These are real enthusiasts – we have a very strong following attracted by the forward technology stance of the company. We’re ramping up production to meet demand.”

Westfield, which has 33 employees, has received funding from the £2.5m Advantage Niche Vehicle Programme, managed by Cenex, Centre of Excellence in Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies and is producing six vehicles to take part in fleet trials.

The development vehicle has two 40kW electric YASA motors (with a peak power output equivalent to 200bhp) that provide direct drive to each of the rear wheels, removing the requirement for a gearbox and propshaft. Under race conditions the operational range is anticipated to be 50-60 miles. However, it is the modular aspect of the battery pack that makes the technology flexible and appealing. There are eleven batteries in total and they can be removed, depending on the length of the race, to reduce weight. It takes just a few seconds to slot in a fresh battery during a pit stop. This modular approach will migrate to Westfield’s road cars which, under normal driving conditions, should run for around 100 miles between charges or battery exchange. The technology will help Westfield meet future CO₂ emission targets.

“There is a lot more testing to do and these are conservative figures,” says Mr Turner, “we would rather over-deliver than disappoint.”

Other collaborators in the project include Potenza Technology, Delta Motorsport, RDM Automotive and Coventry University.

The iRACER will cost around £45,000 at retail which is about £10,000 more than the current range topping XTR4 model but Mr Turner is confident Westfield will sell 50 electric cars this year and twice as many in 2011. Total production for 2010 is set at between 400 and 450, up from 370 last year, with incremental growth coming from the iRACER. Of that total, roughly half will be complete cars from the factory.

New models and new technology have fuelled growth and exports (the latter helped in part by the euro/sterling exchange rate. Westfield has seen sales rise in France – nearly 40 Turbo Sport models were bought by competitors in the European Sport Vehicle tournament. Westfield forecasts further growth overseas through its network of 27 dealers. “We’ve taken a share of the market from our competitors,” says Mr Turner, “it’s a better product”.

If you’ve relied on the noise of a diesel engine to drown out the opinions dispensed by taxi drivers then beware. A whisper-quiet, all-electric taxi prototype has been developed by a consortium including Lichield based automotive engineering specialists, Zytek, and technology experts Penso in Coventry.

The ‘E Vito taxi’ can transport up to six passengers over a range of almost 75 miles from a single,six-hour full charge and is licensed for use in London. It’s powered by a 38kWh Valence Li-Ion battery installed in a weatherproof enclosure beneath the floor, saving on interior space and improving stability. The prototype is capable of up to 75 mph.

Neil Cheeseman, programme manager at Zytek Automotive, says, “The range and performance of the E Vito make it perfect for inner city transport: not only does it deliver a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions but also significant costs savings (a full charge costs less than £2.50) which can be passed on to users in the form of reduced fares. The Zytek electric drive system used in the E Vito taxi is suitable for a variety of passenger car and light commercial vehicle applications.”

Zytek is one of the world’s most experienced developers of powertrains for electric vehicles and works closely with vehicle manufacturers on several production programmes.

The E Vito programme has been part-funded by a £2.5 million grant from regional development agency Advantage West Midlands (AWM) whose Advantage Niche Vehicle Research & Development Programme (ANV) brought together the expertise from Zytek, Penso and fellow consortium members, Vocis/Graziano, Valence Technology and Mercedes Benz UK.