High Performance Electric Compressor (HiComp2)

Commercial vehicles contribute to 25% of all transport CO2 emissions in the EU, but to date have not been subject to CO2 emissions regulations. Commercial vehicle CO2 regulations are expected within the next 5 years. Additionally, air quality in cities is increasingly has become a major issue, leading to many cities announcing stricter emissions legislation in poor air quality areas. These developments will lead to an increasing requirement for zero emission capability for commercial vehicles. All medium and heavy commercial vehicles require a compressed air supply for brake and suspension operation. Conventionally the compressor is engine driven, however zero emission running requires that the compressor be electrically driven. Current solutions to this need are inefficient, heavy and expensive. Equipmake, Hieta, Bladon, and University of Bath will under this project collaboratively develop a novel high speed twin turbine compressor utilising state of the art developments in the fields of turbomachinery and power electronics producing a more efficient, significantly lighter and lower cost compressor. The product will act as an enabler to accelerate the adoption of zero emission commercial vehicles.