Local budding engineers will be working alongside academics from WMG, at the University of Warwick, to get a taste of what a career in engineering is really like by building and racing their own electric vehicles.

The Greenpower Education Trust looks to address the skills gap that is growing in the UK automotive industry by engaging students in engineering at a young age. Pupils aged 9 to 11 will be given their own electric kit cars to design, build and race - guided by their teachers and supporting mentors from WMG and engineering students from Warwick. Pupils will then compete with their car in a regional Greenpower IET Formula Goblin race, scheduled to take place towards the end of the school year in 2017.

WMG is pleased to announce the appointment of Archie MacPherson, as the new CEO of the WMG centre High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult.

Archie joins WMG, bringing over 25 years' experience in manufacturing, having previously worked for IBM, ICL, Lucas Industries and Mettis Group serving the Automotive, Aerospace, Defence, Energy & Rail sectors. He has held leadership roles in organisations covering family, public and private equity owned structures. Archie was also a founding member of the Advanced Forming Research Centre, University of Strathclyde, and latterly CEO (of AFRC) from 2012 to 2016.

Archie, who previously studied at Harvard Business School, comments: “I’m passionate about helping companies to improve their

competitiveness, and I’m looking forward to using my expertise to help convert the art and science of innovation into tangible results.”

WMG, University of Warwick, was recognised as the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK spoke for Electrical Energy storage in 2015, and it has been announced that WMG is to be a key partner in £5.4 million project to develop the next generation of battery packs for high performance, low carbon vehicles.

The UK Automotive Battery Supply Chain project aims to exploit the world leading UK innovations in the area of battery technology. Currently most of the technology within the battery systems used by the UK automotive industry is sourced from overseas suppliers, so this project aims to capitalise on the UKs strong battery technology research base and bring production back to the UK to serve demand from a changing automotive industry as they drive to deliver innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions and improve performance.

WMG at the University of Warwick are delighted to be part of a £19.4m project to support the development of next-generation electric vehicle batteries in the UK, funded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC UK Ltd).

The funding will support leading edge manufacturing research focussed around Nissan's Sunderland battery manufacturing plant - the largest full scale automotive Li-ion battery manufacturing facility in Europe. WMG researchers will play a key role in helping Nissan take forward this opportunity and will receive £1m for the research.

The consortium led by Nissan with WMG at the University of Warwick, Hyperdrive, Newcastle University, and Zero Carbon Futures (ZCF), will bring together engineers, researchers, new technology and existing facilities, assets and knowledge to create and prove new and improved manufacturing processes for the next generation of automotive batteries.

WMG has particular skills around battery chemistry and the manufacturing processes used to scale this up to high volume production. WMG role in the project will be to investigate potential improvements to battery chemistry and increasing manufacturing yield, and to optimise automated manufacturing processes to enable Nissan to remain at the forefront of electric vehicle technology.

It was announced today Wednesday 9^th September 2015 that WMG, at the University of Warwick, will lead a £14 million consortium to create a new automotive battery pack manufacturing research centre. The project will help develop the next generation of traction batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. It will combine the best human and automated assembly methods to manufacture battery packs and lay the foundations of a new UK automotive supply chain based around this technology.

The continued success and growth of WMG, at the University of Warwick, now means that it is seeking to hire 120 new recruits over the next 100 days.

WMG is a leading centre for world class education and applied research in many sectors including: automotive, aerospace and defence, business, construction, energy and utilities, IT, security and rail. They have recently won funding for several major research projects and partnerships that builds on our large array of collaborations with new and established partners.

WMG’s Chairman Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya said:

As we continue to grow and expand we are seeking individuals who thrive on a challenge and who aren’t afraid to defy conventional thinking. We are investing in, and creating, several new world-leading facilities to support these new projects. So we also need to invest in more talented people to take these projects forward and we will intend to recruit 120 of those people in the next 100 days.”

Some of the most recent developments, at WMG include a new £13.5 million Energy Innovation Centre and the £150 million National Automotive Innovation Centre.

The University of Warwick has today been named as the "Electrical Energy Storage Spoke" of the government and industry funded £1 billion Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), to co-ordinate a technical community with a shared interest in battery systems.

The Automotive Council has identified electrical energy storage as a key technology for the future of the automotive industry in the UK. WMG, at the University of Warwick, has made significant investments over the last 10 years to build expertise and facilities in the scale-up and evaluation of battery systems. As a result of these investments, and a strong network of academic and industrial partners, The University of Warwick has been identified as the logical location to host the Electrical Energy Storage Spoke for the APC.

On Thursday 6th November, Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), was welcomed to campus by Professor Lord Bhattacharyya (Chairman of WMG) along with Dr Gerhard Schmidt (Chairman) and Tony Pixton (CEO) of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, Professor Stuart Croft (Provost of the University of Warwick) and Jerry Hardcastle (Chair of the Automotive Council Technology Group).

Dr Cable was visiting to officially launch the new Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) Hub which is based on the University of Warwick campus. The APC helps forge partnerships between those who have good ideas and those who can bring them to market. The services provided by the APC enable projects which provide profitable growth and sustainable opportunities for the partners involved and contribute to the UK’s economic prosperity.

Read the APC's Press Release on the Launch: Vince Cable opens £1billion centre for cleaner greener vehicles

The following press release was issued by The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK Ltd

• University of Warwick to host central Hub with regional Spokes to be announced.
• The APC is committing up to £200 million in UK propulsion technology projects this year.

25 July 2014: The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) has selected the University of Warwick as the site for its Hub location, supporting the ten year, £1 billion industry and government commitment to the development of low carbon propulsion systems.

The central Hub together with a national Spoke structure will provide the UK automotive industry with resources and facilities to develop advanced propulsion systems and supply chains. In doing so the aim of the APC, in partnership with industry, is to secure and grow over 30,000 UK jobs currently engaged in the research, development and production of vehicle powertrains as the industry transitions to a low carbon future for all modes of transportation.

An open and rigorous process was used to select the Hub location overseen by an independent, industry-led assessment panel. The final decision was based on the requirement to have a suitable facility for rapid start-up with:

• Ease of access with good communication networks.
• Access to capable skills.
• Independence and flexibility.
• Scope for physical expansion as the APC gains momentum.
• Provision for world class showcasing of UK capability in advanced technologies.

The APC helps forge partnerships between those who have good ideas and those who can bring them to market. The services provided by the APC will enable projects which provide profitable growth and sustainable opportunities for the partners involved and contribute to the UK’s economic prosperity.

WMG has continued to progress its ambitious expansion plans announcing the appointment of a number of new major academic posts in several key areas.

WMG continues to attract world class Professors with recent appointments in the areas of steels processing, cyber security, advanced propulsion and structural composites. This builds on the nine appointments made last year in the areas of E-Health Innovation, Nanocomposites, Supply Chain and Operations, Automation Systems, Vehicle Electrification and Energy Storage, Low Carbon Materials, Energy for Low Carbon Vehicles and Digital Manufacturing.