Car battery researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick have just bought specialist “Hardware-in-the-Loop” high power computing equipment. This will connect real time high tech battery research testing at the University of Warwick with simultaneous tests on real advanced hybrid electric vehicle components at five other universities. Now WMG are looking to recruit a PhD research student to run the battery test while connecting it to an England wide simultaneous test of a vehicle’s electrical systems.

The new equipment was funded through the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre working with industry in a programme MUSTER: Multi User Systems Testing Environment for Research programme. More information about MUSTER is available here.

The research project, which will then use this new equipment to simultaneously link six real advanced technology vehicle electrical systems in,: Bath, Brighton, Loughborough, Nottingham, Newcastle, Warwick, is called VCHV (the Virtually Connected Hybrid Vehicle project). More information of that project is available here.

This project creates a collaborative PhD network across six universities (including WMG at the University of Warwick), and it is led by and funded through the Digital Engineering & Test Centre in London who will also centrally monitor the connected experiments.

Anyone interested in applying for the PhD studentship in WMG at the University Warwick should look at these details here. NB applications close on 30^th April

For more information on reserch degress at WMG visit the website here.

Professor David Greenwood at WMG said

“Together these two initiatives (MUSTER and VCHV) provide us with an exciting opportunity to develop and demonstrate an innovative solution for hybrid electric vehicle product development. This has the potential to have a real impact on efficiency and development costs for vehicle manufacturers and to allow more robust and reliable products for consumers”.

APC Chief Executive, APC, Ian Constance said: “Our Spoke community brings together academia and industry to share best practice, expertise and facilities in the UK.

“MUSTER will provide open access to an infrastructure of six world-leading test facilities throughout the UK, significantly reducing research and development time and costs allowing SMEs to become more competitive and engage with academia, while providing the UK with unique facilities to attract further investment from leading research companies around the globe.”