The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has released an update on the agenda for its annual summit highlighting the importance of innovation in low carbon technology.
Sessions at the fourth annual SMMT Summit, which will be held on Tuesday, June 12, will include insight from the Automotive Council Technology Group which will detail the development of ‘sticky’ technologies for the automotive industry.
These are technologies considered capable of strengthening the long-term future of the UK automotive industry through attracting foreign investment.
The low carbon technology stream at the fourth annual SMMT Summit will be sponsored by EDF Energy.
Speaking about the stream, Bethan Carver, Manager of B2C Product Development at EDF Energy said: “The electrification of transport will require the development of innovative technologies to enable motorists to maximise the cost and carbon saving potential of plug in vehicles. Energy suppliers will play a key role in the development and deployment of these technologies and associated customer offers.”
The UK has an increasing market share in alternatively fuelled vehicles. In 2011 it reached a record 1.3%.
At SMMT’s 2012 Summit Jerry Hardcastle, vice president vehicle design and development at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe will talk about his organisation’s outlook on the low carbon technology space.
In particular, Mr Hardcastle will discuss the attraction the UK has for investors thanks to the strength of collaborative relationships between industry and academia. He will urge more SME companies to engage with this system.
Mr Hardcastle will also take part in a panel debate session titled: ‘Building Ultra-Low Carbon R&D in UK Automotive’. This will investigate the merits of recent efforts to create a competitive tax regime for R&D in the UK.
Other speakers at the SSMT 2012 Summit will come from Renault, VW Group, BMW and Bosch. Alternative streams to the low carbon technology stream will focus on turning technologies into revenue, the changing face of vehicle retail and growth in the automotive supply chain.
More details can be found here
