U.K. seeks low-carbon vehicle projects

The U.K. Regional Development Agency One NorthEast is taking applications for its recently-launched £100 million ($173 million USD) Low Carbon Vehicle Integrated Regional Delivery Programme.

Leanne English, spokeswoman for One NorthEast, told the Cleantech Group that projects involving low-carbon fuel alternatives such as hydrogen and biofuels are being considered.

The chosen projects will receive funding for five years, starting in April 2009.

At the end of the five-year period, English said, some of the technologies being funded and developed are expected to be on the market, while others are expected to be ready for launch at that time.

This is the second program focused on low-carbon vehicle technologies introduced this year as part of the Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform. The platform was developed by the U.K. government’s Technology Strategy Board and Department of Transport to help the nation's automotive sector cope with growing demand for low-carbon vehicles.

In May, the Technology Strategy Board teamed up with several companies to fund 16 low-carbon vehicle research projects including hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells and engine efficiency (see U.K. invests in low carbon vehicle development).

One of the projects already receiving funds is the HyPower project, in which a Nissan Almera car has been designed to run on hydrogen and to exhaust only water.

The northeast region of the U.K. is home to several major players in the automotive and fuel industries, including Nissan, which is the nation’s largest car manufacturer and exporter.

Developed by researchers from the University of Sunderland’s Institute of Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice, the HyPower car was unveiled at an international conference for alternative fuel technologies last month.

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