Urban CV design, improved aerodynamics and alternative-fuelled HGV technology are being encouraged through the latest Horizon 2020 funding competition.
As part of a €550m (£494m) six-stream funding pot, €133m has been earmarked for development of green vehicles.
There are nine vehicle competitions to enter, with a significant focus on the commercial vehicle sector, including:
- Electrified urban commercial vehicle integration with fast charging infrastructure – to enable medium-sized trucks and buses to operate in a pure electric mode, with charging capabilities to enable them to fulfil their roles in an urban environment without affecting payload or having a negative affect on the power grid;
- Aerodynamic and flexible trucks;
- Optimisation of heavy duty vehicles for alternative fuels use.
Further competitions cover areas such as battery cell technology, new electric drive-trains and better modelling of electric vehicles and their components.
All projects applying for funding must be a consortium of at least three organisations, with all bids to be entered by February 2017.
Horizon 2020 is the largest ever European funding programme for research and innovation. It has a budget of €79bn and will run until 2020.
The Dft announced earlier this month it wanted to remove regulatory barriers in the UK for operators wishing to run alternatively-fuelled commercial vehicles.
- If you are interested in more sustainable urban freight movements, make sure you attend this year's Freight in the City Expo taking place on 2 November at London's Alexandra Palace.
