ETI launches £4.5m projects to research pathways to mass market electric vehicles
Fri 19 March 2010
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The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has launched three major research projects to develop pathways to a sustainable mass market for electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) vehicles. These are intended to enable the ETI to determine the potential size of the long-term mass market, evaluate the feasibility of potential routes to mass market deployment. and inform driver incentive strategies.
The £4.5m initiative will fund three separate academic studies to investigate consumer reactions to electric vehicles, the economics and carbon benefits associated with their mass rollout and the upgrades to the electricity grid and recharging infrastructure that will be required to support large numbers of electric vehicles.
The contractors to lead the studies are IBM and engineering firms Arup and Ricardo UK, and will involve a coalition of businesses and academic institutions including the University of Leeds, E.ON Engineering, EDF Energy, Shell, and the University of Aberdeen. The research teams are expected to report back on their findings next year.
Dr David Clarke, chief executive of the ETI, said the aim of the projects was to act as "a guiding light to support over £300m of UK investment already committed to infrastructure deployment and consumer incentives for plug-in vehicles".
Michael Hurwitz, Director of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), said: “As the Government Office responsible for encouraging the development and uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicles, we support the decision by one of our key strategic partners to fund this programme of research. The results of this will provide important information that will help in our combined attempts to pave the way to a mass market for ultra-low carbon vehicles.”
The schemes will include 40 drivers and 3,000 consumer surveys, with findings due to be delivered by 2011.
In February this year, the UK government announced a ‘Plugged-in Places' incentive programme along with grants offering motorists 25% off the cost of an electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen-powered car from January 2011.
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