Norfolk-based electrical engineering firm Equipmake has said it is almost at the stage of selling its battery technology capable of powering fully electric vehicles to bus makers around the world, the Eastern Daily Press reported.
In June, the company received a £1.8m grant from the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicle (OLEV) to advance its research, which it said is now almost ready to hit the road. The Argentinian bus builder with which it has partnered on the project is expected to have vehicles ready to take the technology by mid-2018.
Managing Director Ian Foley said the project was progressing well: “We are already getting interest from other bus companies in different parts of the world.”
Alongside this project, Equipmake is continuing to undertake research and development work for car manufacturers and is close to signing a deal with a European car maker to supply the motors for its electric vehicles.
He added that the company will have increased its staff from 16 to 20 by the end of the year, after hiring more designers and project managers to cope with its growing workload.
“We are finding there is more design work to do and we are getting to the stage where we need a dedicated project manager in other areas,” he said.
The company recently received an award from the RAC for its work with supercar manufacturer Ariel, for whom it has also been developing electrical components. However Ian, who has previously worked on hybrid bus technology, said research into technology for electric buses for the global market remains the company’s main focus.
Ian Foley told CBW that it would confirm the name of its partner bus builder in the next few weeks.
