Fresh off of celebrating the production of its 100th unit since production started 18 months ago, U.K.-based automaker Zenos is the recipient of even more good news after receiving a £250,000 ($326,000) grant from Niche Vehicle Network’s SME & Supply Chain Development competition to help the company develop a prototype hybrid version of its acclaimed E10 R track car.
The research and development project is part of a nine-month program that calls on Zenos to develop a hybrid powertrain for its track cars in order to meet increasing emissions regulations that are likely to be put in place in the near future. Currently, the automaker’s entire range of E10 models, including the E10 R, uses a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, including the E10 R. The grant isn’t meant to influence Zenos from cutting the production of its E10 family of track cars, or stopping it altogether. Instead, the grant was given to help the company look into the future layout of the industry where hybrids, EVs, and self-driving cars are being touted as the norms rather than the exceptions.
A hybrid version of the E10 R will go a long way in gaining acceptance in that kind of future. and Zenos itself doesn’t have a concrete hybridization strategy as managing director Mark Edwards pointed out to Autocar. The grant it received from the British government can go a long way in helping the company create one for its future, even though there’s no actual commitment from Zenos that it could put a hybrid E10 R into production. But that’s the point of the grant; it’s meant to give the automaker a clearer picture on whether a hybrid version of the E10 R is worth the long and winding road to get there.
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