SMMT News

Investment boost for low carbon, fuel efficient technologies developed in UK

30 June 2011 #SMMT News

The UK Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF), based at the University of East Anglia (UEA), has invested £400,000 in new automotive technologies designed to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

The investment in Essex-based Controlled Power Technologies (CPT), will allow the company to continue to innovate, as well as bring more technologies to market. CPT’s products aim to help vehicle manufacturers to meet tightening CO2 emissions legislation, using mild electric hybridisation to improve fuel efficiency, without the need to redesign the car or engine.

CPT is currently trialling an electric supercharger that can eliminate turbo-lag in smaller engines, designed specifically to make these vehicles a more attractive proposition to drivers who may be used to more powerful cars. Other innovations developed at the company’s Essex facility include an ultra-fast stop-start system and an electric generator that can recover waste energy from exhaust gases.

“CPT is a local company with products that can have a global impact on reducing carbon emissions,” said Laura Chellis, LCIF Project Co-ordinator. “We are proud to have such leading edge low carbon technology companies in our region and are delighted that we can support CPT’s commercialisation plans.”

“Although we are now working on applications around the world, our products and technologies have all been developed by our experienced and growing team of engineers in the East of England and we are proud of our roots here,” said Nick Pascoe, CPT Chief Executive. “LCIF joins the list of our major shareholders at an exciting stage as we work to bring our more developed products to market.”

The Low Carbon Innovation Fund was launched in 2010 and invests in SMEs across the East of England. It is part of a £20 million venture capital investment programme, including an £8m contribution from the European Regional Development Fund.

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