Bob Dover, former chairman and chief executive officer of Jaguar Cars and Land Rover, and a former vice-president of the Ford Motor Company, is to be appointed Chairman of the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
Dover takes over the role of chairman of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) from Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, who chaired the organisation through its early start-up phase.
The APC is a joint commitment by the automotive industry and Government to invest £1bn over ten years into research, development and commercialisation of low carbon propulsion technologies.
The APC team brings together and supports those who have good ideas in the form of innovative technologies with those who can bring them to market as products.
Speaking about his new position, Bob Dover commented: “In a relatively short period of time, the APC has established itself as a central part of the UK’s low emission propulsion ecosystem.
“It’s playing a crucial role in helping to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of bringing innovative low emission technology to market. I look forward to working with the team at the APC and bringing my background of engineering and technology to the organisation during its next exciting phase of development.”
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APC chief executive, Ian Constance added: “Bob Dover brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the APC.
“As well as leadership roles in multinational automotive OEMs providing a real-world industry perspective, Bob also has extensive experience in the academic world and with SMEs which is a combination that is ideally suited to the work of the APC.
“At the same time as welcoming Bob to the role, I would also like to thank Gerhard Schmidt for his significant contribution as chairman during the period since the APC was set up, where solid foundations have been established on which to move forward.”
Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The UK’s automotive sector is the most productive in Europe, and the Government has given industry a clear signal of continued backing by providing an extra £225m for automotive R&D up to 2026.
“I welcome Bob Dover’s appointment to the helm of the APC, and look forward to working with him on helping the industry to sustain the UK’s leadership position in low carbon vehicle innovation. I would also like to thank Gerhard Schmidt for his work with the APC.”
To date the APC has administered a total of £293m of co-funded investment in 17 low carbon advanced propulsion technology projects. Combined, the projects forecast to save over 17 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road, and safeguard or create 11,141 jobs in the UK.
