What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Zero-emissions ambulance with hydrogen range extender among innovation funding winners

Published 21 June 2021

A zero-emissions ambulance with a hydrogen range extender is one of 62 projects to receive a share of £20 million from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles innovation fund.

The Government has announced the latest batch of projects to win backing from the innovation fund for new technology that will support the shift to electric vehicles (EVs).

Agile Charging’s BEVscan project won £219,181 from the innovation fund to develop a plug-in device for EVs that records battery health. The device is intended to help improve the experience of buying a used EV by providing the buyer and seller with data regarding the health of the battery.

£326,500 has been allocated to the Hydrogen-powered Specialist Health Vehicle project, which will enable Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS) to develop a zero-emissions ambulance with a hydrogen range extender, which it claims will overcome the inherent limitations of existing ICE vehicle conversions.

>>> Lexus reveals new NX plug-in hybrid with 40-mile electric range

Levistor won £544,109 of funding to develop a kinetic battery that will provide a temporary power boost for charging the next generation of ultra-fast EVs at peak times in rural areas.

The projects join previous recipients of grants from the Office for Low Emission Vehicle’s (OLEV’s) zero-emissions research pot, including pop-up chargers that rise up out of the pavement to provide a discreet, safe and low-cost EV charging solution to those without off-street parking.

Previous research and development funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) has supported the UK’s first solar electric forecourt in Braintree, Essex. The project hopes to make EV charging as easy as using a petrol station.

A separate project is trialling vehicle-to-grid technology, enabling EVs to store and sell energy back to the grid during increased levels of demand. The owners of the 320 EVs involved in the trial saved an average of £420 on their annual electricity bills.