Tech/Ops Sevcon, a company that manufactures and markets microprocessor based controls for electric vehicles (EVs), has secured a second research and development (R&D) grant worth GBP250,000 from One North East, the Regional Development Agency.
The company will utilize the grant to accelerate the production of its new EVO5 product, an integrated motor and controller package aimed at on road EV drive train applications.
The compact nature and variants of the combination of EVO5 product will allow it to be used in a wide range of vehicles, including parallel and serial hybrids and also direct drive full EVs.
The company will use the grant, payable quarterly in arrears, to defray part of the engineering cost associated with the acceleration of the product’s development up to 31 March 2011.
The UK government R&D grant is a testament to the ability of Tech/Ops Sevcon to supply optimized controls to manufacturers of on and off road EVs including cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, fork lift trucks, aerial lifts, mining vehicles, airport tractors and sweepers.