The APC is a 10 year, £ 1billion programme created by government and industry to help turn low carbon propulsion technologies into products
Yesterday business secretary Dr Vince Cable MP opened the £1 billion Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) hub at the University of Warwick for cleaner greener vehicles.
Announced last year and launched in July, the role of APC is to position the UK as a centre of excellence for low carbon propulsion development and production.
The hub will bring together various partners who will work together to turn low carbon propulsion technologies into products. There are currently four active projects underway, one of which is JCB working with its partner Flybrid to apply Formula 1 technology for use in diggers.
Yesterday Dr Cable announced a further £32 million for two new projects.
The two new projects are led by Jaguar Land Rover. They will be part of the projects announced this year that will safeguard 2,500 jobs.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“Green technology will drive the cars of the future and UK designers and manufacturers must continue to be leading innovators in this field. That’s why we’ve collaborated with industry to provide £1billion joint investment in the Advanced Propulsion Centre – one of the driving forces behind our automotive industrial strategy.
“The APC will be the hub for projects as diverse as using motorsport braking systems in buses, and streamlining the production of electric motors. It’s these kind of initiatives that will enable our automotive sector to raise the bar in innovation, give businesses the confidence to invest and create high skilled jobs.”
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Video from yesterday which shows business secretary Dr Vince Cable MP officially opening the hub of the APC.
The APC operates on a ‘Hub and Spoke’ model with the Hub providing the centre of gravity for the APC team working with a large number of Spokes across the UK.
The first APC Spoke will be located at Loughborough University’s London premises on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park campus.
“Powertrain and propulsion development is a key strategic area for Loughborough: indeed earlier this year we announced a five-year investment of £1.5 million in research appointments, which will help us to develop the new advanced propulsion technologies required for the move to zero emission vehicles. We are therefore exceptionally well-placed to support this very important and hugely exciting development,” says vice chancellor and president of Loughborough University, Robert Allison.
Announcements about further spoke locations, funding competitions and the development of the APC team will be made in the coming months.
Video about the APC Hub
