The Powertrain Research Group at Nottingham is of one of the leading academic powertrain research groups in the UK, with a long standing reputation for close collaboration with the Automotive industry and notable close collaborations in recent years with Ford, JLR, Volvo Trucks UK, BP, Shell, Ricardo and MAHLE Powertrain. Over the past 30 years the group has developed an internationally leading reputation in the field of powertrain systems efficiency and integration, with considerable recent work in the area of thermal management and energy recovery. The group is now led by Professor Alasdair Cairns, who has over 18 years’ experience of powertrain R&D, including 10 years in industry with Cosworth/MAHLE (2000-2010) where he led IC engine related R&D and 6 years with Brunel prior to joining Nottingham in 2016. More widely, the University of Nottingham is a key member of the Russell Group and the APC spoke for Power Electronics, with significant activities in the related areas of electrical machines and power electronics, autonomous vehicles and big data and human factors.
Reseach & Development
In 2017 the university senior management announced six ‘Beacons of Excellence’ target for future investment and significant development, one of which was the ‘Propulsion Futures’ beacon.