LPG Vans and Hybrid Vehicles

Leading hybrid commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashwoods Automotive has clinched another award.

The Exeter-based company won the prestigious Manufacturing Innovation Award at the Insider Made in the South West Awards, held in Bristol.

Neil Tague, Editor at South West Business Insider which organises the Awards said: “The South West has some really smart businesses providing next-generation solutions in their chosen fields, and Ashwoods is one of the best.

“It has identified a market requirement for a more efficient and environmentally-friendly way to run commercial fleets and is meeting that demand superbly.”

Ashwoods Automotive is the UK’s largest supplier of hybrid commercial vehicles. The company is the sole hybrid vehicle supplier to the Department for Transport’s Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme (LCVPP), which provides subsidies to public sector bodies purchasing hybrid vans and minibuses.

Ashwoods is also fast-growing player in the fields of driver behaviour technology and the design of low carbon vehicle components. The company recently started manufacturing its innovative Ashwoods electric motor in the South West – significantly improving its bottom line.

Ashwoods is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the leading players in HEV and EV core drive train components including electric motors, gearboxes, batteries, battery management systems and eco-driving technologies. This includes the award winning Lightfoot in-cab driver efficiency system.

Martin Kadhim, Business Development Manager at Ashwoods Automotive, said: “Ashwoods entered the awards because we wanted to be recognised for our local efforts. We try to keep our supplier base as south-west based as possible, for example 75 per cent of the hybrid components are sourced from within 25 miles of the Exeter office – and despite the opportunity to manufacture overseas, Ashwoods Hybrid Drive system is manufactured in Weston-Super-Mare.”

He added: “Winning the award means so much to the team here at Ashwoods as it gives the team further recognition for their focus on developing great technologies that help reduce carbon and play a pivotal role in the fast developing low emission manufacturing industry in the UK.”

A total of six other category winners were announced at the ceremony at Marriott Hotel on November 8th.

These include:

Aerospace/Defence – Aero Stanrew (Barnstaple),

Exporter of the Year – Avon Metals (Gloucester)

Sustainable Manufacturer – Green Fuels (Stonehouse, Gloucestershire)

Food and Drink – Thatchers Cider (Sandford, Somerset)

Advanced Manufacturer – GKN Aerospace (Filton)

Manufacturer of the Year – Burts Chips (Roborough)

The Made in the South West Awards were sponsored by Barclays, Foot Anstey, Grant Thornton, GoIndustry, G4S, TasteTech and University of Bristol.

 Ashwoods is celebrating after coming runner up at SMMT’s second annual award designed to showcase the importance of R&D and the role the UK plays in developing global automotive products, beating off stiff competition from companies across the car, commercial vehicle and supply chain sectors.

 Ralph Hosier, SMMT judge , engineer and motoring journalist  commenting on the shortlist of six said, “The level of detail people had to go into to make their systems work was very impressive. Because they couldn’t find anything off the shelf that would actually work for them they created something that would.  The ingenuity in the detail was quite amazing”.

 The award, sponsored by GKN Driveline, was presented to JLR’s Chief Engineer, Hybrids, Peter Richings at SMMT’s Annual Dinner by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker and Rob Rickell, Global Engineering Director, GKN. 

 Commenting on the announcement, Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive and chair of the five-strong judging panel said, “The awards clearly demonstrates industry’s commitment to lowering vehicle emissions and creating exciting products for demanding consumers. They champion industry innovation – promoting cutting-edge automotive engineering and design that the UK is famed for around the world.”

 Sponsor of this year’s Award, GKN Driveline’s Engineering Director, Rob Rickell said, “GKN Driveline is once again proud to sponsor the award. As a UK company, we recognise that research and development of technology will result in innovative solutions satisfying our society’s demanding and ever evolving needs. By doing this successfully, we and others will have a positive impact on the environment, the communities and the economies in which we all operate. The finalists tonight demonstrate fine examples of developments that embody that spirit.”

 On presenting the Award, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker, spoke about the importance of recognising innovation within the UK’s automotive sector, adding that a collaborative approach across the commercial, business and government sectors was essential in encouraging new technologies and products to market. 

 This year’s Award was judged by a panel of senior industry figures, including Dave Salt, Chief Engineer, GKN Driveline, Ralph Hosier, Engineer and Motoring Journalist and Jon Beasley, Group Technology Officer, GKN.

 Leaders in the drive to cut carbon emissions from road transport have been announced at a prestigious ceremony in London and Ashwoods joined their ranks in the 2011 ‘Low Carbon Innovation by an SME’ in second place.

 The LowCVP Low Carbon Champions Awards recognise best practice in key areas from vehicle manufacturing and fleet operation to the development of products and services that reduce greenhouse gases from road transport operations. The winners were announced at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP) Gala Reception, held at One Birdcage Walk, Westminster, at an event held in association with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

 Tony Juniper, independent environmental adviser and writer and former Executive Director of Friends of the Earth said: “It’s all too easy to take a backseat on this agenda. We need much more leadership. The winners of these LowCVP Awards have demonstrated leadership in their various fields; we need more individuals and organisations like them.”

 Greg Archer, Managing Director of the LowCVP, said: “These Awards recognise best practice and innovation, highlighting leadership in accelerating the shift to lower carbon vehicles and fuels. “The number and quality of entries was even higher than last year which shows the level of energy and enthusiasm that exists to create new markets for lower carbon vehicles.”

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “The shift to low carbon vehicles has the potential to be the greatest automotive development since the internal combustion engine. However for this to happen we need innovative, forward thinking businesses to drive progress.

“That’s why it’s so important that we recognise, through these awards, those British businesses that are building a low carbon vehicle industry in this country, helping to put the UK at the very forefront of this next technological revolution.”

The Awards are accredited by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) which means they meet a robust set of criteria and by doing so demonstrate high quality and validity. In a rigorous judging process – involving 28 senior individuals from across the range of organisations with a stake in this agenda ‐ a total of 44 companies and organisations madethe Awards shortlist.

The winner of the prestigious overall award was Nissan GB. In making the award the judges said that Nissan has been at the forefront of EV and battery technology development and its efforts have culminated in the launch of the ground ‐breaking fully electric Nissan LEAF in

March 2011.

Ashwoods Automotive has held its ranking as one of the fastest growing companies in the European clean technologies sector.  

Cleantech Connect 2011, recognizes Europe’s rising stars within the Clean Technology industry and Ashwoods Automotive are proud to again be listed in the top 25 League Tables.

The 11th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, which took place in Berlin, has proved the most popular to date with a record breaking 16,000 plus people attending the five-day event.

Organised by Michelin, this global ‘rally for sustainable mobility’ saw Berlin’s Templehof airport transformed into an exhibition centre, round-table conference rooms and test tracks to highlight the latest sustainable transport innovations and technologies. UK companies leading the way in innovative engine development and vehicle design were to the fore at Challenge Bibendum, with five Shell Springboard Award winning firms forming a UK Eco-Innovation Zone in the exhibition hall. Among them was Exeter-based Ashwoods, a hybrid and low carbon vehicle company whose hybrid van helped them claim a Challenge Bibendum Design Recognition Award – the only UK company to receive such an accolade at this year’s event.
Mark Roberts, Managing Director of Ashwoods Automotive, said: “We are extremely proud to be the only British company honoured in these awards. This further underlines the financial and environmental benefits that our fuel-saving technology is delivering across the UK today.”

On the first day, a parade of all the participating vehicles in front of the Brandenburg Gate was one of the highlights of this year’s event. This was in addition to the traditional series of rallies – the Intercity Passenger Car Rally, the Urban Vehicle Rally and the Battery Electric Rally – which are designed to test vehicles on various performance criteria including energy consumption, manoeuvrability and noise levels.

Indoors, 72 exhibitors displayed cutting-edge products and innovations in the Technological Exhibition Centre and conference rooms hosted 50 events including forums, round-tables and workshops, and first-time features such as the Leaders’ Forum. There was also a UK Eco-Innovation Zone, which showcased some of the best in British vehicle and engine design and manufacturing.

During the five days of Challenge Bibendum, over 16,000 people visited the event with 10,000 members of the public attending the first ever open day on the Sunday. One thousand students from all across Europe attended the Student Day – another first at this year’s event.

Eric Le Corre, Michelin UK’s Managing Director, said: “It gave me great pleasure to see such a strong UK presence at this year’s Challenge Bibendum, the biggest and best attended event to date. We had UK representatives from industry, public affairs, the press and universities; all of whom were extremely impressed with the exhibitions, debates, vehicles and the many new innovations on show.”

Innovation and technological advancement are key themes for every Challenge Bibendum event and 2011 was no exception as Michelin showcased some of its latest developments. These included a puncture-proof concept tyre which uses an inner material that distorts and stretches around the penetrating object preventing air-loss – an innovation which could make punctures a thing of the past.

Other concepts were small tyres for electric urban vehicles, large narrow tyres for improved aerodynamics and rolling resistance, and a high capacity truck tyre making twin-axle trailers a possibility in place of the three-axles currently used.

Michelin’s Active Wheel technology was also on display. Integrating all of an electric vehicle’s drive, suspension and braking components into the wheel itself, the Active Wheel offers the prospect of excellent handling, driving comfort and efficiency.
Out on the test tracks, 280 vehicles – including everything from a fuel-cell powered London black cab to the latest electric Formula One-style car – took to the tarmac, providing visitors with a first-hand vision of the green, clean motoring opportunities of the future.

Ashwoods has won the Technology Award in the 2010 Van Fleet World Honours. The trophy was presented at a special ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall on Tuesday 18^th May.

The Fleet World Honours are presented annually to those motor manufacturers, service companies and individuals who have, in the opinion of the judges, achieved the highest possible level of excellence in their sector.

The judging panel is chaired by Steve Moody, Editor of Fleet World, and includes Ken Rogers, Natalie Wallis, John Kendall and Ross Durkin from the Fleet World editorial team. Residual value, maintenance cost and reliability data is provided by ALD Automotive, Masterlease, Hitachi Capital Vehicle Solutions and ING Car Lease. Market value data is provided by EurotaxGlass and CDL Vehicle Information Services.

Submissions for the Fleet Manager Awards are received from the Energy Saving Trust, RoadSafe and the Institute for Car Fleet Management.

Van Fleet World Editor, John Kendall, said: ‘Four companies were named as approved suppliers to the first phase of the Department for Transport’s Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme in mid 2009. The first phase involves a trial of more than 100 “low carbon” and electric vans. The only successful “low carbon” bidder was Ashwoods, whose bolt-on hybrid conversion recorded carbon dioxide reductions better than 14 per cent in independent tests.

‘At a time when organisations cannot afford to ignore either the cost of running a fleet – or its impact on the environment – innovations such as this represent a genuine step forward in vehicle technology and offer fleet managers the opportunity to make a real difference in their way of operating.’

Commenting on the high standard of entries to this year’s awards, Fleet World Managing Editor, Ross Durkin, said: ‘The fleet industry is emerging from a period of economic uncertainty in a very strong shape indeed. As well as the impressive list of new cars and vans that have recently come to market, we have also seen tremendous innovation and investment from the fleet services sector. Anyone looking in on the fleet industry from the outside world could not fail to be impressed with how well it has put its house in order, despite the recent economic downturn.’

Ashwoods Automotive has been awarded a 3-year Technology Strategy Board (TSB) funded £1.8 million Research and Development project. The high-profile consortium will be lead by Ashwoods and joined by Citroen UK, Sevcon and LifeBATT, with the purpose of developing advanced scalable hybrid and electric power train systems. Read about Ashwoods hybrid development projects here

Official emissions testing by the Department for Transport at Mira Emissions Laboratories confirms that the Ashwoods Hybrid Transit reduces CO2 and fuel costs by over 20% on the European Drive Cycle (NEDC).Read more about our hybrid vans emissions