£11.3 million combined investment for Shield Manufacturing Technologies in Warwickshire

Warwickshire-based company benefits from £11.3 million investment to develop motorsport-inspired energy recovery system for electric vehicles.

• Joint government and industry award from Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) is part of £54 million commitment across three innovative automotive projects
A company from Southam, Warwickshire has won support for an £11.3 million project to develop and manufacture an energy recovery system integrated with an e-axle and motor to reduce energy use in electric cars and vans as part of the latest round of R&D funding guided by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).

The e-MOTIF (e-axle with MOTor Inverter and Flywheel) project led by Shield Manufacturing Technologies in Southam combines lightweight energy recovery technology from motorsport with a new motor and inverter for electric cars and vans to cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The technology is scalable and cost effective for global manufacturers and will lead to three new manufacturing centres opening across the UK.
 

Chris Shield, Managing Director of the Shield Group said: “Shield Manufacturing Technologies is delighted to be working with APC and our partners to accelerate the development and production readiness of cutting-edge engineered technologies. The evolving market opportunity for this family of power-dense electric drive modules will generate significant numbers of skilled roles with associated investment across Shield’s facilities in the Midlands and opportunities for the region’s supplier base.”
APC17 Release_Warwickshire 22 Mar 2021 FINAL - 2 -
It comes as more than £54 million in combined government and industry funding has been committed to three innovative projects across the UK for cars, buses, heavy goods vehicles and vans.
 

Jon Beasley, Business Development and Programmes Director at the APC said: “The project being carried out by Shield Manufacturing Technologies will bring motorsport expertise and innovation to further develop the electrification of passenger cars and vans and will accelerate the transition of the automotive sector to a net-zero future. As one of three projects to benefit from £54 million of investment, the funding will enable the UK to apply its world-class innovation and experience in electrification of vehicles across the supply chain in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
Other projects to receive funding from the latest Advanced Propulsion Centre funding competition APC17 include:

• EPIC (Electric Powertrain Integration for Heavy Commercial Vehicles) – The next generation of zero emissions heavy commercial vehicles need lightweight ‘smart’ powertrains to manage extreme levels of electrical power. The EPIC project led by Meritor in Cwmbran integrates the key elements of motor, inverter, gearbox, differential and brakes in a single lightweight system for vehicles up to 44 tonnes and includes coaches, off-highway and construction vehicles.

• Next Gen FCEV – The UK is a global leader in bus design and manufacturing. Wrightbus in Ballymena is developing hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle single and double-deck buses. This programme will enable higher volume production at lower cost and create a centre of excellence for zero emissions hydrogen technology to upskill and share knowledge in the UK.
Further information about the projects which will be funded through this round of investment can be found here https://www.apcuk.co.uk/news/APC17-Funding-Announcement