Strategic Context
Transport (excluding aviation and international shipping) contributes almost a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions (approximately 120 million tonnes of CO2 a year), of which around 8% comes from heavy duty vehicles and 16.5% comes from light duty vehicles. Transport therefore has a huge role to play in reducing UK greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.
Programme Aim
The Transport programme is split into two Focus Areas:
Plug-in Vehicles Economics and Infrastructure Focus Area
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Evaluate the potential role and economics of plug-in vehicles in the low carbon transport system
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Develop the technology tool-kit for delivering an intelligent infrastructure to support plug-in vehicles
Heavy Duty Vehicle Efficiency Focus Area
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Identify and demonstrate a package of powertrain efficiency improvement technologies relevant to multiple domains within the heavy duty (liquid fuel) transport sector.
Project summaries
Please click the following projects below for detail:
Lower Drivetrain HDV Efficiency Project
Completion date
Winter 2015
Project Partners
- Romax Technology
- Castrol Ltd
- ANSYS Inc
Overview
This project will improve the efficiency of Heavy Duty Vehicles by cutting the amount of parasitic losses in the Lower Drivetrain system by 50%. Parasitic losses - that are caused by the churning of the lubricating oil and component friction - in HDVs and off-road vehicle energy losses. This project will look to improve the overall system design, with a synergistic focus on gears, bearings, surface treatments, lubricant flow and lubricant composition.
The ETI commissioned and funded project is led by Nottingham based Romax Technology, who will work in collaboration with Castrol Ltd and ANSYS Inc. Romax will be responsible for the Lower Drivetrain design and analysis, Castrol Ltd will work on oil development and ANSYS will model the lubrication system with its engineering simulation technology.
Technologies advanced and developed through this project will then be available to be utilised across a portfolio of HDVs including HGVs, coaches, buses, tractors, back-hoe loaders, wheeled loaders and articulated quarry trucks.
Heavy Duty Vehicle Efficiency Platform Technologies Systems Integration - Land
Completion date
November 2013
Project Partners
Overview
This is the first project to be commissioned in the £40m Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) Efficiency Programme.
The HDV fleet, which comprises of heavy goods vehicles, medium goods vehicles, buses, coaches, construction machinery, quarry machines, mining machines, agricultural equipment and marine vessels, has been split into two main areas –
land vehicles and marine vessels.
This project will focus on the concept engineering of a range of innovative and efficient land vehicles.
The output of this project will help to determine which technologies are required to achieve a 30% fuel consumption reduction in the land based HDV fleet. This project builds upon the HDV Efficiency Focus Area feasibility study completed in 2010.
During Phase 2 of the Programme, the ETI will invest in the under developed technology areas prior to a full-scale demonstration of all of the technologies and systems in Phase 3.
The demonstration vehicle will be a Caterpillar AT725 articulated off-highway truck.
Heavy Duty Vehicle - Efficiency
Date announced
October 2009
Project Partners
- Ricardo
- Caterpillar
- Rolls-Royce
Overview
The UK heavy duty fleet (HDV), which includes HGVs, buses and coaches, ships and trains, currently consumes more than 13.5 billion litres of liquid fuel each year.
This project identified the technology packages and assessed the carbon benefits case for them. The study analysed the UK’s HDV fleet and identified ways in which technological solutions could increase efficiencies and contribute to a reduction in liquid fuel consumption.
The ability to combine individual technology developments into packages which can be implemented across a range of vehicles will be critical in enabling rapid, cost-effective reductions in CO2 emissions. We are now using these outputs to define and commission a large-scale technology development and demonstration programme.
Light Duty Vehicle - Consumers and Vehicles
ETI Investment
£4.5m between
three transport
electrification projects
Completion date
Summer 2011
Project Partners
- Ricardo
- Element Energy
- TRL
- Shell
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Sussex
Overview
Project announced March 2010 and completed in Summer 2011. Part of £11m initiative announced in September 2009.
This in-depth project has been looking at the potential long-term performance and cost of plug-in vehicles, as well as consumer reactions and behaviours in buying and using them. It has explored supporting infrastructure, and has included in-depth surveys with 3,000 consumers and real-world testing with 40 drivers.
The project was the first of three projects in the Plug-in Vehicle Economics and infrastructure focus area.
Light Duty Vehicle - Electricity Distribution
& Intelligent Infrastructure
ETI Investment
£4.5 million between
three ongoing transport
electrification projects
Completion date
Summer 2011
Project Partners
- IBM
- EDF Energy
- E-ON
- Imperial College London
Overview
Project announced March 2010 and completed in Summer 2011. Part of £11m initiative announced in September 2009.
This detailed project has been looking at the potential impact of electric vehicles on the UK electricity distribution grid, as well as assessing the recharging infrastructure required to support mass market adoption of plug-in vehicles in the UK.
Working with a wide-range of stakeholders, it has also defined the system architecture to integrate vehicles, electricity networks, charging points and payment systems.
Light Duty Vehicle - Economics &
Carbon Benefits
ETI Investment
£4.5m between three ongoing transport electrification projects
Completion date
Summer 2011
Project Partners
- ARUP
- E-ON
- University of Leeds
Overview
March 2010 and completed in Summer 2011. Part of £11m initiative announced in September 2009.
This project provided a strategic level analysis of the potential size of the market for plug-in vehicles, the total level of investment needed and the total carbon offset.
This analysis was conducted against a set of scenarios including technology breakthrough, macro-economics and government policy. It will determine the viability of different pathways to a self-sustaining mass market for plug-in vehicles.
The project was the third of three current projects in the Plug-in Vehicle Economics and Infrastructure focus area.
We have been working with infrastructure providers, government, industry leaders, information management companies, vehicle manufacturers and leading cities in the UK.
