Location: Southampton
The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS) at the University of Southampton undertakes internationally leading research in energy storage, electronics, high speed electric machine design, cryogenic and superconducting magnetic systems and system integration in the fields of electric vehicles, rail, aerospace, maritime and autonomous systems.
FEPS offers unique facilities for material testing and characterisation at high magnetic fields (>20 T), cryogenic temperatures, x-ray computed tomography imaging and dedicated clean room and nanofabrication facilities. They also offer significant application expertise and testing within the road, rail, aero and maritime sectors in their rolling road dynamometer, rail systems lab, National Wind Tunnel and 135m towing tank facilities. This supports their related capabilities for the design, manufacture and testing of a range of electrochemical energy storage systems including batteries, flow and fuel cells and supercapacitors.
Key strengths and unique capabilities
- Fundamental materials and device research
- Modular multi-level converters (MMCs)
- High energy and high power energy storage
- High speed electric machine drive systems.
- High-speed electric machines
- Magnetic gears.
- High magnetic field strength characterisation and testing (>20 T)
- Cryogenic and superconducting magnetics.
- Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems
- Electric Vehicle (EV) charging systems.
The University of Southampton’s research covers both passenger and freight transport whilst examining information technology’s role in complementing or substituting transport.
Southampton’s researchers consider how society influences technological developments in transport, commonly termed ‘intelligent transport systems’. They take an interdisciplinary approach involving engineering, economics and social sciences.
Equipment
Testbed for 100kW superconducting electric machines at 60-77K.
Synthesis, manufacture and characterisation of electrochemical electrodes and systems.
138m long, 6m wide, 3.5m deep towing tank with controlled and instrumented carriage for undertaking maritime research.
National Wind Tunnel test facility for aerospace and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) testing.
Lithography, deposition and etching facilities for semiconductor processing.