Torotrak plc announced the award of a Technology Strategy Board grant to develop a new application of the Flybrid KERS technology for integration into a manual gearbox, in collaboration with lead technology partner Lotus Cars Limited ("Lotus"). The award has been made under the Technology Strategy Board's Low Carbon Vehicles Integrated Delivery Programme 10: 'Building an Automotive Supply Chain of the Future', to a consortium (the Consortium) also including Productiv, the industrialization specialists. The project is valued at £4.3 million to the Consortium members and will be part-funded by the Technology Strategy Board grant, with a value of works undertaken by the Group directly of approximately £0.7 million over the course of the project.

It will run for approximately 24 months from its commencement in the second quarter of 2014 and will see the lightweight, race-proven Flybrid KERS technology installed into one of Lotus's signature performance road cars. The development of the system which integrates Flybrid KERS into a lightweight car, shows continued progress in its strategy of delivering production ready technology for the mass car market. This grant funded project aims at developing the UK-based supply chain for low carbon automotive technologies, and helps Torotrak become further engaged in the UK automotive supply chain.

Lotus will lead the project, providing donor vehicles, development support, and purchasing Flybrid hardware to test the installation. Flybrid will design, develop and manufacture bespoke flywheel KERS hardware for integration with the Lotus manual transmission. Productiv will offer production support throughout design and development.

There will also be a number of key subcontractors working closely with the Consortium on transmission integration and optimum control implementation.