Libertine FPE has secured a grant from Horizon 2020, the European funding programme for research and innovation.
Horizon 2020 aims to produce world-class science and innovation in Europe. The SME instrument is designed to support EU-based small and medium-sized Enterprises with breakthrough innovations through staged funding and business acceleration services.
The Phase 1 grant will be used to support development of Libertine’s IntelliGEN 20kWe Smart Engine platform for OEMs seeking to create power generators for electric vehicles and distributed power generation applications.
In future, most vehicles will require an on-board electrical power generator. By 2030 it is estimated by Toyota that such ‘hybrid’ electric vehicle sales will outnumber conventional vehicles and battery electric vehicle sales by three to one. These future hybrid electric vehicles will require a revolution in internal combustion engine design and performance to meet stringent regulatory and user requirements for efficiency, emissions, noise and vibration, packaging and fuel flexibility.
Libertine is enabling this next revolution in internal combustion engine performance, using electronic piston motion control and high performance linear machines to ensure optimal combustion conditions during each and every cycle. The ‘Smart Engines’ created by this revolution will play a major role in global transport and power generation for decades to come.
Libertine is currently in discussions under NDA with two leading OEMs in Europe, in addition to prospective partners bringing expertise in renewable fuels and advanced combustion development. Through its proprietary real time compression ratio and adaptive piston motion control technology, IntelliGEN will support all bioethanol fuel mixes from E10 currently in widespread use in Europe to higher E20 and E85 mixes, offering greatly enhanced combustion efficiency and emissions performance.
During 2019 Libertine will be seeking Phase 2 support to launch and evaluate pilot intelliGEN systems in the UK, France and Germany during 2019-20 with support from European partners.
About H2020
Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness.
Seen as a means to drive economic growth and create jobs, Horizon 2020 has the political backing of Europe’s leaders and the Members of the European Parliament. They agreed that research is an investment in our future and so put it at the heart of the EU’s blueprint for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and jobs.
By coupling research and innovation, Horizon 2020 is helping to achieve this with its emphasis on excellent science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. The goal is to ensure Europe produces world-class science, removes barriers to innovation and makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation. What is Horizon 2020?
About Libertine
Libertine makes Smart Engines for Electric Vehicles and distributed power generation. In future, most vehicles will require an on-board electrical power generator. Smart Engines running on a variety of cleaner and sustainable fuels are considered to be an essential part of this future – not only on board electric vehicles, but also in a wide variety of distributed power applications. Smart Engines are expected to produce at least 30% more power from the same fuel input, whilst being cleaner, quieter and easier to use and maintain than today’s power generators. Libertine is enabling this revolution in internal combustion engine performance with its proprietary electronic piston motion control and high-performance linear machines. Smart Engines using this technology will play a major role in global transport and power generation for decades to come. The addressable market for Libertine’s technology is estimated to be in excess of US$100 billion by 2025.