Silverstone Park-based Performance Projects has won a share of over £2.5 million in government grant funding to help further develop its OxDrive electric drive hub technology.
The business is one of just 14 SMEs selected to each receive £170,000 of funding via the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP) which helps cutting-edge technology developers bring their innovations to life.
APC’s Head of Programmes Josh Denne, confirmed that the that funding had only been allocated following “a highly competitive round of applications.”
“We are incredibly proud, and honoured, to have been selected,” enthused Chris Horton, MD of OxDrive Ltd which is a subsidiary of Performance Projects.
“We look forward to working with the Advanced Propulsion Centre and its partners, developing and commercialising our exciting new e-hub technology. OxDrive drivelines are critical for the agritech and construction sectors’ road to net-zero.”
The OxDrive electric drive hubs (e-hubs) are a range of high torque, fully integrated electric hub drivelines specifically for the rigours of agritech, construction and other off-highway applications.
They are designed to provide reliable drives which speed up vehicle development, reduce time to market and enable viable progress to net-zero robot and vehicle solutions.
The technology has already been integrated into Performance Projects’ ‘GoFar’ rover which uses AI navigation developed by the University of Lincoln. The GoFar has attracted interest from the agritech sector and is currently undergoing trials with Berry Gardens Growers, a major name in the fruit-picking sector.
Josh Denne said: “This latest cohort of our accelerator programme is once again a celebration of UK start-up and SME-led innovation and demonstrates how the drive within our ecosystem to develop new net-zero technology businesses is not slowing.”
He added: “We have attracted a fascinating range of tech businesses to this round of TDAP. Alongside some fantastic hardware-based concepts, we are seeing a growth in software-based innovation that can drive carbon and cost out of vehicle development and manufacturing.
“As our ecosystem shifts its focus towards net zero, we are seeing new process technologies which could help drive emissions out of the supply chain for clean mobility technologies.
“The team at the APC are excited to work with these 14 companies over the coming months to enable them to forge their routes ahead and accelerate their progress.”
