Off-highway assistance

Innovate UK looking to fund research projects that will improve the efficiency of off-highway vehicles’ powertrains

The government is to fund £3 million-worth of engineering research to lower the carbon emissions of off-highway vehicles such as diggers, combine harvesters and dump trucks.

A competition for the funding being run by Innovate UK – formerly known as the Technology Strategy Board – is set to open this month and will close to entries on
12 November.

Innovate UK is looking for research projects that will improve the efficiency of these vehicles’ powertrains, and integrate their energy storage and management solutions, as well as lightweight designs and those that include electric motors and power electronics.

The global market for off-highway vehicles is predicted to be worth more than £84 billion by 2016, with 1.2 million unit sales.