Based in Powys and pioneering the next generation of zero-emission vehicles with a ‘circular Mobility-as-a-Service business model’,
Riversimple has announced grant funding for the new £1.7 million ZELLOR (zero-emission lightweight long range) project, to demonstrate a vehicle with ‘the unprecedented balance of zero emissions, light weight and a 400-mile range’.
Riversimple, which is the lead company in this project, says the grant funding for this is part of the UK Government’s £4 billion programme, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK and Innovate UK, adding that the triple balance of range, zero emissions and light weight has not yet been delivered by current Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) manufacturers.
The company said: “Light weight, long range and zero emissions will be achieved by working closely with several partners. Novel high-power density and highly efficient electric motors will come from GreenFlux Motors of Colchester, and pioneering power electronic converters with superior efficiency from TTPi of Nottingham. Further development of Riversimple’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrain will use the Pi-Hive machine-learning-based vehicle development tool being developed by Pi Engineering Consultancy Ltd.”
Zero-emission mobilityIan Constance, CEO of the
Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, said: “These projects demonstrate the UK’s determination to lead the shift to zero-emission mobility. By facilitating the UK Government’s DRIVE35 grants, we are turning world-class innovation into industrial capability. With our partners in DBT and Innovate UK, we are backing manufacturers, empowering SMEs, and strengthening the UK’s sovereign supply chain.”
Hugo Spowers, Riversimple’s founder, said: “The automotive industry is struggling with a trilemma: zero emission, lightweight, and long range. Of these three, weight is the feature that is yet to be resolved in the market and correlates with all the negative impacts of cars, namely: resource consumption, embedded carbon in manufacturing, energy consumption in use, road safety, air and water quality and ocean pollution. This project is demonstrating that zero-emission vehicles need not be heavy, and that we have all the innovation and expertise we need right here in the UK.”
Michael-John Bull, Pi Engineering Consultancy’s director and co-founder, concluded: “ZELLOR is a great opportunity to prove how, with a ‘whole system design’ approach and with correct component selection, the mobility sector can deliver ‘best-in-class’ net-zero motoring. We are pleased to be part of a consortium focusing on efficiency and weight reduction at its core, assisting our partners’ test plans to extract the most from the data.”