APC to champion British innovation in USA

• Advanced Propulsion Centre reveals six British organisations demonstrating UK expertise at the Battery Show in Novi, Michigan
• UK exhibitors to showcase innovations including energy storage, powertrain technologies and lightweighting solutions
• Event set to forge partnerships and encourage collaboration between British and US automotive industries

The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) will support six organisations representing the UK automotive industry at the Battery Show on 11-13 September in Novi, Michigan. At booth 2045 exhibitors will form the UK Pavilion to showcase advanced battery and powertrain technologies to vehicle manufacturers and tier-1 suppliers from North America and across the world.

The Pavilion is comprised of innovative UK organisations from a wide range of fields within the automotive industry, including energy storage, powertrain technologies and lightweighting solutions. Earlier this year, the UK Pavilion attended the JSAE Spring Congress in Yokohama and Engine Expo in Stuttgart, with some exhibitors leaving with deals worth up to £150,000 and meeting around 100 new contacts.

Following this success, exhibitors in Michigan will seek strong collaboration and investment to support the UK economy. Together, the delegation will demonstrate that, as a destination for the development and production of cutting-edge battery and low-carbon powertrain technology, Britain is GREAT.

To date, the APC has coordinated more than 18 international events to promote the UK Pavilion, showcasing 176 British companies to nearly 200,000 event delegates. The resulting 2,800 sales leads have secured millions of pounds worth of foreign direct investment into the UK, with an average return on investment of 14:1.

Last year, the UK government announced a £120 million investment as part of the £246 million ISCF Faraday Battery Challenge. Through the APC, £80 million will be used to establish the UK’s first automotive battery industrialisation centre (UKBIC), while the remaining £40 million will fund 27 battery research projects across the country. The overall project will develop safe, cost-effective and high-performance batteries, and enable the UK to lead the charge in electric vehicle battery development. It is this expertise and forward-thinking innovation that the UK Pavilion will demonstrate at the Battery Show.

Jo Evans, Head of Marketing and Communications at APC, said:

This event provides the perfect platform to drive further international collaboration and fundamental R&D in the UK. There are major opportunities for collaboration between the British and North American automotive industries, as proven by a number of APC-funded projects with Ford. As a result of some of these projects, Ford has been able to develop new low-emissions technologies that are currently in production in its EcoBoost engine and is currently real-world testing a fleet of plug-in hybrid Transit vans, enabling zero-emission deliveries in urban areas.

The UK companies and their technologies are as follows:

AMTE Power develops new battery cell technologies, with the added capability to produce both pouch and cylindrical products at its full-scale industrial cell manufacturing plant. The company is a partner with the APC in a project to establish a robust UK-based automotive battery supply chain using smart cell battery management system technology.

AVID Technology designs and manufactures electrified powertrains and advanced thermal management systems for high-performance electric and hybrid vehicles. The company will be showcasing its flagship EVO Axial electric motor.

The Faraday Battery Challenge was created to bring the country to the forefront of battery research, development and testing. With an investment of £246 million over four years, the initiative will develop new partnerships and support the commercialisation of innovative battery technologies.

Faradion is the world leader in non-aqueous sodium-ion cell technology. Providing cheaper and cleaner energy, sodium-ion batteries are also safer than lithium-ion, with a higher energy density and wider operating temperature than other alternatives.

SuperGen is a joint venture between Integral Powertrain and Magna, supplying hybrid and electric drive technologies for the automotive industry. At the Battery Show, the company will present its low-voltage 12-48V product line and, for the first time, the new 48V SuperGen e-modules, with up to 40kW performance.

TRB Lightweight Structures develops solutions to reduce weight while improving performance, safety and durability, with material selection based on properties, manufacturability and cost. The company has built complex, high-performance tools and components for Formula 1 and the premium automotive sector.