Declining air quality in major cities and resulting health impacts due to vehicle emissions is widely reported. Whilst automobile emissions have been targeted by legislation, which has driven consumer awareness and technological development from manufacturers, similar Legislation for commercial vehicles, which account for up to 35% of these emissions is not currently in place. However, this is set to change, and will be introduced in between 5 to 10 years across Europe, commencing 2018 with the introduction of a harmonised emission measurement standard. Truck and bus manufacturers must make required improvements to vehicles before legislation comes into force, to protect their market position. Opportunities therefore exist for technologies that provide greater efficiencies and emission reduction to these manufacturers.
We aim to validate and scale-up manufacture of a cost effective electric compressor that enables efficient electrification of commercial vehicles, to meet tightening emission standards. Objectives for this study were to understand potential markets and their likely evolution, confirm freedom to operate and assess opportunities for I.P. protection, identify and engage with partners, align technical specification to market requirements, identify required approvals (along with developing legislation), to develop our business plan, to demonstrate the business case for HiPower products, and to devise a robust development plan through to commercialisation.