Driving Technology Change: How Formula 1 low carbon technology is putting the UK in pole position for business

In the run up to this weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Advanced Propulsion Centre took to the stage at the home of the British Grand Prix to discuss technology transfer from motorsport to mainstream automotive. Key figures from all sectors of the industry reviewed progress to date at the event organised by UKTI called Driving Technological Change 2015 with case studies and examples of success, providing insight into the resources available to support UK businesses including the APC from Jon Beasley. Speakers included Chris Aylett, Chief Executive Officer – MIA, who highlighted the resources the APC has to offer to help technology bridge the gap from racetrack to road.

Examples on display and raised in discussion included lightweighting, energy storage and recovery, in the context of the UK motor industry. The event included a “Meet the buyer” session enabling technology developers to meet and explore business opportunities with potential customers such as Jaguar Land Rover.

John Grant, Chairman, British Racing Drivers Club

Speakers came from companies such as the British Racing Drivers Club,  Automotive Investment Organisation, Cosworth, Advanced Propulsion Centre, Motorsport Industry Association (MIA),  Google, and Mercedes AMP HPP.

The APC has just closed its latest grant funding competition, and project consortia who applied for the APC4 competition have now submitted their applications for the current grant funding round. The competition has up to £60 million currently available to support low carbon advanced propulsion projects worth more than £120 million.

The competition which opened on the 5th May and closed on the 1 July at midday is called ‘APC4 Driving UK Capability and Economic Impact through Low Carbon Propulsion Technologies’ for projects which are collaborative and business-led and include a vehicle manufacturer or a tier 1 supplier and an SME partner. They must also develop the UK’s supply chain in the field of low carbon vehicle propulsion technology. The competition will fund the development of on-vehicle technologies for either on-road or off-highway vehicles.

Consortia must have a clear, demonstrable route to production, and line of sight to market, involving at least one vehicle manufacturer and/or a tier 1 supplier and at least one SME partner.