Xtrac Shares Centre Stage With Tsb At Cenex Lcv2012

Xtrac will participate in an impressive display of vehicles and advanced technology resulting from the REEVolution project, which is a collaborative research and development programme part funded by the government's innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board. The project, which forms the largest display at the Cenex event, which includes ride and drive opportunities, a technical seminar programme and exhibition, was designed to create new high performance range extended electric vehicles (REEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Jaguar Land Rover leads the consortium, which includes vehicle manufacturers Lotus and, through its Infiniti brand, Nissan. The battery, electric motor and transmission respectively, have been supplied by Axeon Technologies, EVO Electric and Xtrac.

The consortium has built three best in class demonstrator vehicles to showcase the innovative new technologies developed since the project was first announced in 2010. The driving force behind this is the development of a UK supply chain for new ultra low carbon vehicle technologies to build on the skills of all the businesses involved so that they can exploit an expanding global market.

“The Low Carbon Vehicle conference provides a unique opportunity for automotive industry stakeholders to gain an understanding of these latest developments in electric and hybrid vehicle technology,” says Xtrac managing director Peter Digby. “We are pleased to be playing our part in the REEVolution consortium and helping to develop UK engineering and manufacturing skills for the next generation of electric cars and hybrid vehicles.”

“The UK’s renowned Motorsport Valley has a significant advanced engineering capability which can be applied for the development of alternative powertrains by the rapid transfer of innovative technology in the short timescales that are the norm in motorsport,” added Clive Woolmer, head of Xtrac’s growing Automotive and Engineering business unit who will attend the event. “The UK is home to a £6 billion industry with a proven track record in advanced engineering, and has that extra ability to promote this technology to a vast global audience through the high visibility of motorsport.”

The demonstrator vehicles include the INFINITI EMERG-E prototyperange-extender hybrid sports car, which made its debut at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed before embarking upon a year-long testing schedule. The prototype delivers its power and torque to the driven wheels via an Xtrac 1092 transmission, which also features in the Lotus Evora 414e series hybrid technology demonstrator.

Established in 1984, Xtrac has become a world leader in the design and manufacture of gearboxes, differentials and driveline components, which are used throughout international motorsport and in particular within F1, IndyCar, Touring Car, Rallying, Rally Raid, GRAND-AM and many forms of sportscar racing including a major involvement in the Le Mans 24 hours, Daytona 24 hour and Sebring 12 hour races. The company is often cited as an industry benchmark and exemplar for small and medium size companies (SMEs). All employees can participate in an award winning share scheme becoming shareholders through its Employee Shareholder Trust. The UK business operates its global headquarters from a hi-tech factory at Thatcham in Berkshire and has additional facilities in North America. It plays a significant role in the £6 billion UK motorsport industry and is in the forefront of hybrid and electric vehicle transmission innovations for many international automotive companies.

Evolution of REEV Technologies Building a UK Supply base is a collaborative R&D project funded by the Technology Strategy Board that is creating new high performance Range Extended Electric Vehicles (REEV) and Plug-in Hybrids Electric Vehicles (PHEV). Three new demonstrator vehicles will showcase innovative new technologies. The cars are ‘best in class’ and combine and build on the skills of all of the businesses involved. The driving force behind this is to build a UK supply chain for new ultra low carbon vehicle technologies and position suppliers so that they can exploit the global market. The REEVolution consortium, led by Jaguar Land Rover, consists of Axeon Technologies, EVO Electric and Xtrac, and the three vehicle manufacturers involved are Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus and Nissan Motor Company through its INFINITI brand. The total cost of the project including industry investment is over £20m. Just over £9m of this is grant funding is from the Technology Strategy Board.

The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy.

Cenex, the UK's first centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, was set up as an industry-led public-private partnership. The aim of Cenex is to support UK industry in building competitive advantage based on national leadership in the global shift to a low carbon economy. By encouraging the early market adoption of low carbon and fuel cell technologies in automotive applications, Cenex aims to assist UK industry to develop a supply chain capable of competing in global markets, as well as showcasing UK expertise to encourage inward investment and LCV2012 plays a significant part in this process.