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RML GROUP SECURES A SHARE OF A £2.5 MILLION INVESTMENT TO DEVELOP LOW CARBON VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES THAT REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS AND BUILD THE UK’S SUPPLY CHAIN

RML Group are excited to announce they have secured a share of a £2.5 million investment supported through grant funding provided by the Niche Vehicle Network R&D Competition. The Niche Vehicle Network is a free to join networking and support organisation focused on enabling UK low volume vehicle manufacturers, design and engineering companies to research and develop innovative low carbon vehicle technologies.

The Network is funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles, Innovate
UK, the Advanced Propulsion Centre and the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy.

Hybridisation of the powertrain is an automotive megatrend, with vehicle manufacturers looking to electrify their products, however the costly nature of developing and manufacturing a hybrid system is a big drawback to its application in niche vehicle products. RML Group and project partners Caterham and Xtrac, will collaborate to share their industry knowledge, skills and expertise to investigate the integration of a 48v mild hybrid system for low volume road-car applications in a cost effective solution, which provides numerous environmental and drivability benefits.

The Proof of Concept project, will incorporate RML’s very own designed and manufactured VarEVolt battery system, alongside an innovative hybrid control strategy to produce a prototype MHEV Caterham Seven vehicle, offering significant emissions reduction and economy improvements in urban low speed driving environments. The proposed systems will enable further developments of its type, and extend to other UK niche vehicle manufacturers and motorsport applications. A cost effective electrification route for niche vehicle manufacturers will support their vehicle strategies to align with the major OEM’s and future government policies.

RML Group, Caterham and Xtrac were awarded a share of the £2.5 million investment at the 2019 Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle Event, held at Millbrook Proving Ground. RML have developed several Pure EV and Hybrid programmes, designing high efficiency EV drives and energy management systems. As a vehicle manufacturer, RML are well positioned to supply such a system to other niche vehicle manufacturers keen on introducing hybridisation into their portfolio. If you would like more information on RML’s EV battery management systems, or engineering capabilities, please send an email to enquiries@rmlgroup.com.