Loughborough and Ford partner on EV project 

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Loughborough University is working with Ford as part of a major new commercial EV project that aims to replace prototyping with modelling and simulation. 

The £39m ViVID (Virtual Vehicle Integration and Development ) programme is funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) and also includes McLaren Applied Technologies and IPG Automotive. By removing costly and time-consuming stages of physical prototyping and testing, the consortium is hoping to speed up the adoption of new technologies for electrified commercial vehicles. 

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Loughborough’s role will centre around electrifying Ford’s Transit Van, which presents unique challenges in terms of payload and range requirements. Engineering schools at the university have been awarded £3.1m which will be invested in upgrading existing facilities as well as installing a new Vehicle-in-the-Loop (ViL) test rig that will allow researchers to test control algorithms on real vehicles.  

“Simulation methods already exist but they’re underdeveloped for electric vehicles, we aim to take it to the next level,” said research lead Dr Gerogios Mavros, senior lecturer at Loughborough’s School Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering.

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