WMG to put battery-powered rail-based vehicle on track

WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and Transport Design International are developing a battery-powered rail-based vehicle on behalf of Coventry City Council in the UK. WMG, an academic department at the University of Warwick, is hoping that the 15-passenger very light rail (VLR) will eventually operate without a timetable and allow people to hop on and off. Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, says: “It will be much more affordable to install than traditional trams, take
March 21, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and Transport Design International are developing a battery-powered rail-based vehicle on behalf of Coventry City Council in the UK.


WMG, an academic department at the University of Warwick, is hoping that the 15-passenger very light rail (VLR) will eventually operate without a timetable and allow people to hop on and off.

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, says: “It will be much more affordable to install than traditional trams, take up far less road space, be able to run alongside traffic and our ultimate aim is that it doesn’t require a driver so it can be a frequent service.”

The government’s Local Growth Fund through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership has contributed £2.46 million towards phase one of the research and design of the prototype. Also, £12.2 million has been secured from the West Midlands Combined Authority Devolution Deal to undertake the R&D required to prove the VLR concept.

WMG says the first design is available to view in 3D via its visualisation suite and the first test vehicle will be manufactured by engineering group RDM by mid-2020.

Transport for West Midlands will provide technical support, advice and guidance to the project team as the scheme develops.

Related Content

  • Ericsson demos autonomous parking via solar energy
    November 13, 2019
    Ericsson has launched a solar-powered car which finds out which parking spot contains the most sunshine and then moves to position itself accordingly. The company says it can drive autonomously to a particular space to recharge its batteries. The experimental Stella Era vehicle, which has a range of 1,800km, is equipped with Ericsson’s Solar Smart parking solution and can also share its energy with other electric vehicles parked next to it, the company adds. Solar Smart parking is based in Ericsson’s c
    Read More
  • Cut freight deliveries – improve Southampton’s air quality
    November 23, 2018
    Taking the pressure off cities’ road networks can have a beneficial effect on the environment. David Crawford looks at a new economic model which seeks to quantify the societal effect of freight traffic in Southampton, one of the UK’s five most polluted cities Cuts of 60% or more in volumes of freight deliveries are being predicted - along with badly-needed improvements in air quality - from a load consolidation scheme currently being introduced in the UK port city of Southampton. The forecasts are based o
    Read More
  • Swarco to deploy traffic solutions at University of Warwick
    June 10, 2019
    Swarco Traffic is to provide traffic solutions and smart technologies to deliver parking guidance across the University of Warwick’s campus in the UK city of Coventry. Tony Gillings, project manager at Swarco Traffic, says the technologies will “help the University to effectively manage its car parks and provide university staff and visitors with the necessary guidance and information they need to park safely and efficiently”. Swarco Traffic will supply an initial 42 parking guidance signs to display par
    Read More
  • Whim announces packages ahead of UK launch in West Midlands
    April 4, 2018
    Helsinki-based Whim has released packages and pricing for its Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform ahead of the UK launch in the West Midlands, on the 5 April 2018. The MaaS Global solution is designed with the intention of integrating journey planning, reservations, payments and subscriptions into one app. Offers include a pay as you go option as well as the Whim Everyday £99 ($139) per month package which comes with unlimited public transport for taxis and car hire availability. In addition, the Whim
    Read More

Highlighted Content