The UK-based switched reluctance drives specialist SR Drives is part of a consortium which has won a £15m award from the Technology Strategy Board to help develop a lightweight, gas-turbine-based range extender for future electric vehicles.

The consortium, which also includes Jaguar Land Rover and Bladon Jets, aims to produce the world’s first commercially viable, and environmentally friendly, gas turbine generator specifically for automotive applications.

The system will couple an axial-flow gas turbine engine to a high-speed generator, based on SR Drives’ proprietary switched-reluctance technology.

Harrogate-based SR Drives is owned by Emerson Electric.