UCL awarded research funds for electric vehicle technologies

Scientists at UCL are part of a consortium awarded a multi-million pound grant to develop electric vehicle technologies.

The ELEVATE (electrochemical vehicle advanced technology) project, led at UCL by Dan Brett and Paul Shearing (UCL Chemical Engineering), along with Prof Jawwad Darr (UCL Chemistry) and colleagues at Loughborough, Warwick, Southampton and Oxford universities. The group in UCL Chemistry will be supporting the work to develop new high capacity and high performance anode and cathode Li ion battery materials using its pilot plant nanoparticle synthesis facility (pictured above).

ELEVATE will develop better materials for energy storage devices such as fuel cells and batteries, and improve integration between devices, vehicles and power grids.

Battery testing rig - part of the UCL contribution to the ELEVATE project

Academics in UCL Mechanical Engineering are also involved in the Ultra Efficient Engines and Fuels project, which focuses on improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines.

Both projects involve close links with industry.

The Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, Greg Clark MP, announced the award today on behalf of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Clark said: "Forging strong business and academic relationships is vital to reinforcing the UK's reputation as a global leader in research and innovation. Funding these new projects involving eight universities is a clear example of this in practice, while taking us a step closer to producing low carbon vehicles on a mass scale."

Philip Nelson, EPSRC's Chief Executive, said: "The UK's research base and its universities are a fantastic source of new ideas and refinements from which industry can draw to grow and innovate. Low carbon vehicles are, without doubt, an inevitable and very necessary next step for the automotive industries. The leading research that EPSRC supports will help to make the mass use and production of these vehicles a reality more quickly."

Researcher profile

• Prof Jawwad Darr
  

Related links

• UCL Chemistry
• UCL Clean Materials Technology Group
• EPSRC

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Media contact

Oli Usher
UCL Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
020 7679 7964
o.usher@ucl.ac.uk