E-Mobility Engineering 017 l ECE Doosan electric excavators dossier l In Conversation: Matt Faulks l Battery testing focus l Battery Show North America 2022 report l Ariel Hipercar digest l Cathode materials insight l Thermal management focus

Viritech’s CTO tells Rory Jackson how fuel cell developments for its Apricale hypercar will feed into its upcoming heavy goods vehicles Hypercars toHGVs A nyone who works in electrified and low-carbon automotive engineering should remember that developing solutions to the zero-emissions challenge is not a zero-sum game. Just as solar, wind, tidal and nuclear power all have a part to play in clean energy grids, battery and hybridised EVs alike are key to transitioning us towards sustainable mobility. Any innovation in one could be an enabler or outright saviour for the other, hence battery, IC engine-hybrid and hydrogen EVs are not enemies of each other. Engineers across all these technologies will produce their best solutions through collaboration against their real and shared enemy – inefficiency, and the undue emissions that come with it. These are the sentiments and driving philosophy of Matt Faulks, CTO of Viritech, the UK-based company known for its hydrogen-electric hypercar the Apricale (officially unveiled in its prototype form last year). It is also gaining attention for the rapid development of its 44 t Jovian FCEV (fuel cell EV) trucks and more besides in its future plans. This inclusive attitude towards battery-electric powertrains might sound strange coming from the technology head of a company in the forefront of hydrogen-electric mobility technology, but the hunt for efficiency has informed much of Faulks’ career, which was in motorsport. “I’ve worked in motorsport and with Formula One technology for over a decade. It might look strange that I’m now dedicated to carbon-neutral automotive, but you’d be hard-pressed to say that a modern Formula One car isn’t efficient,” he says. “I started my motorsport apprenticeship just as data analytics were coming into the picture for race teams, so I got a great grounding in how to optimise fine engineering details, through racing as well as contracts with a lot of universities.” He also notes that motorsport careers can be far more flexible than those in traditional automotive engineering, as they can educate motorsport engineers in the rapid creativity and persistence needed when engineering all-new powertrain configurations and production processes. “There was a 24-hour race in 2003 where we had an engine failure in the first hour,” he recalls. “Most teams give up in that situation, and many people there were amused that we didn’t, but we changed the engine, and lost about 45 minutes getting the car back on track. Twenty-two hours later we finished [Le Mans, LM] P3 for our efforts. “That podium stuck with me, because when you’re taking on complex, leading-edge systems there’s always a reason to give up or look The Apricale is to be both a limited-edition hypercar and a proving platform for Viritech’s hydrogen powertrain-enabling technologies (Photos courtesy of Viritech) 16 January/February 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering