HIPERCAR – which stands for High Performance Carbon Reduction –
is a project by Ariel Motor
Company, Delta
Motorsport and Equipmake to develop an
ultra-high performance sports car with advanced carbon reduction
technologies.
Phase one results were made public for the first time today
at Cenex-LCV. A number of
prototypes are on show. This work was supported through a £2
million grant from Innovate UK.
The model sports car will be built at Ariel’s facility in
Somerset.
Bridging the route to market
Simon Edmonds, Director - Manufacturing and Materials, Innovate
UK said:
Routes to market for new technologies – especially in
automotive – are very challenging. Projects we fund like
HIPERCAR bridge that gap and aid wider commercial exploitation
in mass market vehicles in the future.
This exciting project pulls through a number of novel low
emission technologies developed by UK based SMEs and deploys
these in this stunning vehicle for the first time.
Anchoring low carbon tech in the UK
Simon Saunders, Director of Ariel said:
Developing another of the fastest cars in the world is
important for Ariel, but anchoring the technology in this
country and building a British supply chain is vital for the
economy.
The government assistance through Innovate UK to us and other
contributing projects has been vital in developing the many
technologies and components featured in the vehicle.
This is an extremely advanced, cutting-edge car that brings
together UK developed technology in every aspect of its design.
The fact that it has been developed in the UK and supported by
UK government agencies shows just how important the vehicle and
the technology is to the UK automotive industry.
Looking to the future
In addition, the project has received funding for its next phase
from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), worth £6 million. This
will enable the team to carry out further testing, development
and production.
Jon Beasley, Director of Technology and Projects at the APC said:
The HIPERCAR project is a great example of how smaller
companies and members of the UK’s niche vehicle network are
creating opportunities to adopt, and bring to market,
cutting-edge low-carbon technology through their future vehicle
programmes.
This is one of a number of projects in APC’s portfolio that is
significantly reducing CO2 and safeguarding or creating jobs,
in addition to developing UK automotive capability. APC8, the
next round of funding, is now open.
