Salford proud to host Go Electric with industry
Wednesday 23 January 2019
ELECTRIC and autonomous vehicles went on show at the University today (Jan 23) in an exciting partnership with industry to promote the new technologies.
Teslas, electric and autonomous BMWs, Renaults, Nissans, Jaguars and our own Navya autonomous shuttle were on display at our MediaCityUK campus with up to 100 business guests attending.
The University is collaborating with Transport for Greater Manchester on both electric and autonomous technologies and hosted the event with Go Electric and the GM Chamber of Commerce to inform businesses hoping to switch from diesel and petrol.
Visitors had the opportunity to test drive the latest electric cars on the market and step aboard the Salford ‘driverless’ shuttle, which is the focus of a raft of research around road safety, user experience and smart city technology.
Save thousands
Stephen Rhodes of TfGM, who announced that the region would hugely increase the superfast charging network in 2019, said: “Working in partnership with the University and other key organisations is vital if we are to make the most of the technology for the benefit of society and business growth.”
He said companies could save thousands by switching to electric vehicles because of grants, free fleet reviews and other incentives now becoming available.
University of Salford automotive expert Dr Meisam Babaie said: “Clean air, climate change and traffic management are all driving these changes and it is only a matter of time before many of us make the switch.
“While the commercial opportunities are huge, it is vital that we prepare the workforce of tomorrow for this new world, and we are proud to be offering the UK’s only degree courses combining automotive engineering with autonomous technologies.”
Unique degree for engineers
Speakers at the event included Neil Jones, from Upside Energy, a partner in our Vehicle-2-Grid Research with Honda and Good Energy, which is exploring the potentialities of linking EV Cars with home energy systems.
Event organisation was coordinated by Mike Brown, Director of Industry Collaboration & Partnerships (Environments & Engineering).
The University of Salford runs the UK’s only undergraduate programme in Automotive & Autonomous Vehicle Technology.
Find out more
Gareth Hollyman, Senior Press & PR Officer (Science)
0161 295 6895 g.b.hollyman@salford.ac.uk
Related news
Energy House plays a role in the launch of UK energy efficiency campaign #missingpiece
Tuesday 8 October 2019
The University of Salford’s Energy House has been involved in the launch of a campaign driven by Smart Energy GB and the Energy Saving Trust promoting national energy efficiency initiatives.
