Skip to main content

Innovative clean vehicle boost

Clean vehicle technology specialist Zytek looks set to invest in developing new drivetrain technologies.
March 2, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Clean vehicle technology specialist Zytek looks set to invest in developing new drivetrain technologies. This comes following the award of a grant worth €1.57 million from the UK Government's Regional Growth Fund, which will support the development of an Electric Powertrain Technologies Centre.

The facility will be based at the Zytek's technical centre in Staffordshire (UK) and will be used to develop low carbon technologies for the automotive industry and other sectors.

In the future a further €4.23 million will be invested by Zytek, bringing the total up to €5.8 million. The firm has considerable experience developing and integrating advanced electric and hybrid powertrains for leading vehicle manufacturers. This new grant and future financing will ensure that the firm continues to drive innovation, allowing it to introduce next-generation technologies that will improve the range and cost of electric and hybrid vehicles.

The main focus of the centre will be on the development of high-efficiency, light-weight electric motors, inverters and energy storage systems. The company points out that electric vehicles are at an interesting phase in their development, with significant improvements being in power electronics and energy storage systems.

3556 Zytek Automotive has designed and integrated electric drive systems for a wide range of European and US vehicle manufacturers. The company is currently building high performance electric drivetrains from 25kW -70kW and has drives of 100kW and more in development to meet growing demand for zero emissions light commercial vehicles and high-performance passenger cars.

The UK facility can integrate up to 6,000 E drives a year in batches as low as 100, providing vehicle manufacturers with a highly flexible specialist production resource for its low carbon vehicle programmes.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cleaner engines, reduced emissions
    February 17, 2012
    The forthcoming Tier 4 emissions legislation represents a great leap forward in technology, Mike Woof reports
  • Cleaner engines, reduced emissions
    April 11, 2012
    The forthcoming Tier 4 emissions legislation represents a great leap forward in technology, Mike Woof reports A high-profile focus on sustainability and reduced environmental impact is sweeping the construction sector in the European Union (EU) and the US. The EU and the US will implement regulations for the lowest emission off-road machines in history, with Canada and Japan expected to release similar regulatory programmes this year. The legislation being introduced will transform the construction indu
  • India's electric vehicle future
    March 23, 2012
    Strong potential for electric vehicles is expected in India. Existing problems of pollution and massive population growth in cities and urban areas is expected to help fuel demand for electric vehicles in the country.
  • CIFA’s new R&D focus has raised its profile
    January 6, 2017
    The acquisition of Italian concrete pump and mixer firm CIFA by Zoomlion in 2008 has helped raise the profile of this business significantly, transforming the company. The buyout of the company gave CIFA access to funds for research and development, which its Chinese owner has been keen to invest in. And the fruits of this investment are certainly being seen, both by CIFA and Zoomlion.