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Winners Of Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge Announced

15th October 2003 (Source: DTI )

Winners of the Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge were announced today by Green Fuels Minister David Jamieson.

The announcement comes on the same day as the publication of the first annual progress report for the Powering Future Vehicle Strategy launched last year by the Prime Minister.

The strategy sets out Government targets for promoting low-carbon vehicles and fuels in the UK. It sets targets that by 2012 one in ten new cars will be low carbon and that 600 buses produced every year will be low carbon.

As part of the strategy, the ULCCC called on industry to develop an ultra low carbon family car capable of being mass-produced.

Speaking at the Institute of Public Policy and Research conference, the minister said:

"The UK has made real progress over the last year in making vehicles greener and more fuel efficient, and the first annual report from the Ministerial Low Carbon Group sets out the progress we've made towards achieving the PFV targets, and the other objectives of the strategy."

"The Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge launched earlier this year offered funding towards building and demonstrating innovative ultra low carbon cars in the UK. We received a high quality response to the challenge and I am pleased to announce that four projects have been identified.

"In addition this year, we've also taken action to deliver the bus target, by making £3m grants available for trials of low-carbon buses in the UK with the aim of encouraging bus manufacturers to develop 150 demonstration low carbon buses."

"As the Prime Minister noted in his foreword to the strategy, Government is only part of the story. To achieve low-carbon transport in the UK we need the co-operation of all the stakeholders involved, including vehicle manufacturers, energy companies and environmental groups. The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership has brought together all these stakeholders to lead the shift to low-carbon transport in the UK, and to capitalise on the opportunities low-carbon technologies offer for UK businesses.

The winning ULCCC bids are:

Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge - Projects selected for New Vehicle Technology Fund support

Subject to finalisation of Fund contracts

Lead partner Other project partners Main technology developments involved
Jefferies Automotive Systems Ltd, Warwick Ford Motor Company Ltd, Basildon;

Prodrive, Warwick;

Intelligent Power Systems Ltd, Gateshead;

Elektro Magnetix Ltd, Brighton

Hybrid powertrain; flywheel & electrical energy storage.
MG Rover Group Ltd, Longbridge MIRA, Nuneaton;

Powertrain Ltd, Birmingham;

Pi Technology, Cambridge

Hybrid powertrain, reduced body and chassis weight, advanced aerodynamics and thermal systems.
Ricardo UK Ltd, Shoreham, Sussex Peugeot Citroen Automobiles, Coventry;

QuinetQ, Malvern

Downsized parallel hybrid powertrain; automatic-manual transmission; advanced NiMH batteries supplemented by a supercapacitor.
Zytec Automotive Electronics Ltd, Sutton Coldfield Series hybrid powertrain; high-efficiency starter-alternator
Project being taken forward in main New Vehicle Technology Fund programme
Bertrandt UK ltd, Leamington Spa Echo Developments, Leamington Spa

CTG Ltd, Reading;

Xtrac Ltd, Thatcham;

SKF UK Ltd, Luton

Hybrid powertrain;

Contra-rotating flywheel energy storage.

Artemis Intelligent Power Ltd, Edinburgh Dana Corporation, Northampton;

Multimatic Technical Centre Europe, Thetford

Infinitely variable hydraulic transmission system, hydraulic energy storage

 

 

 

Notes to editors

The annual report on the delivery of the Powering Future Vehicles strategy was published today by the Low Carbon Ministerial group. The report is available free of charge from the DfT publications centre ( 0870 1226 236 ), and can be obtained in electronic format from the DfT website (www.dft.gov.uk).

The Ultra Low Carbon Car challenge was launched on 29 April 2003 by Alistair Darling MP. The Challenge invited proposals from individual companies or consortia to build and demonstrate an family sized ultra-low carbon car in the UK.

Applications were assessed against the target specification for the car:

Vehicle type: five-door car;

Fuel type: all generally available types ie: petrol, diesel or LPG ;

Size: equivalent interior space to a class C vehicle (Astra/Focus)

Well to wheel CO2 (on the combined European drive cycle) of less than 100g/km, calculated using the well-to-tank efficiencies as below1. This equates to fuel efficiency of at least 75 mpg.

Fuel Well to tank %
Petrol (Gasoline) 85.9%
Diesel 89.5%
LPG (Average of refined & Extracted) 88.5%

Emission standard: Euro IV minimum;

Acceleration (0 - 100 kph): 16 secs maximum;

All the comfort, features and safety levels expected from a class-leading car in this market segment;

Ability to be mass produced in the near to medium term;

Affordable purchase cost in mass production taking full account of fuel savings and lower tax rates.

Transport Minister Tony McNulty announced £3m grants for bus manufacturers through the Energy Savings Trust for the development of 150 demonstration low carbon buses at the Coach and Bus Show last month.

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