The "Road to Zero" strategy is placing the UK at the forefront of designing and manufacturing zero emission vehicles, with the sale of new petrol/diesel cars and vans planned to end by 2040 (perhaps by 2030 according to recent government announcements). The strategy towards cleaner, quieter cities has accelerated the trend in the sales of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Contrary to the prevalent view though, EVs are not silent. Without the effect of masking noise from an internal combustion engine, other sounds radiating from the electric motor and the drivetrain have become more apparent (mainly at medium to high vehicle speeds). This is a major challenge for Automotive OEMs, which need to adapt their Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) design methods to the "new" electric (e-) powertrain environment. Moreover, an optimum balance has to be identified between the vehicle NVH performance (and NVH package weight) and other weight increases due to heavy battery packs needed to increase the driving range. An important NVH issue in EVs is the tonal e-motor whistling noise (at harmonics of the rotor speed, depending on the number of motor poles). This is generated by the electromagnetic force, which excites the e-motor and the driveline housing. The noise is amplified by the powertrain structure, especially by the stator and its housing. Increased power and e-motor downsizing are key commercial requirements but have adverse effects on whistling noise. In addition to this, e-motor torque variation ripples and introduced misalignments in the system (between the gears, shafts and housing assembly) act as mechanical excitation on the drivetrain, leading to gear meshing oscillations and emitted noise (known as whine NVH). The issue becomes more complex considering the large range of powertrain operating conditions and increased excitation due to high-power motors, which affect the stability of the coupled electromechanical dynamics. The above e-powertrain NVH landscape requires various interrelated disciplines to be considered under the same framework (electromagnetics, component flexibility, transient dynamics and noise radiation). A coupled whistling and whining fundamental study that leads to root-cause understanding of the involved physics has not yet successfully done. The proposed research aims to identify the root causes behind the coupling of e-motor whistling and drivetrain whining NVH behaviour in e-powertrains and develop novel design solutions to reduce their severity and avoid costly and difficult remedial NVH measures later in the development process. The research will produce fundamental knowledge in e-powertrain design from the NVH perspective in the following ways: i) novel scientific knowledge will be generated for e-powertrains by analysing the root causes of the coupling between the e-motor and drivetrain transient dynamics that leads to aggressive NVH behaviour (employing 3D e-powertrain models), ii) an accurate and validated methodology for high frequency (above 10 kHz) e-powertrain NVH studies will be developed, iii) new NVH metrics will be set for use in future e-powertrain investigations and iv) novel and fast reduced-order methods will be developed based on the above NVH metrics and the parametric studies of the validated 3D e-powertrain models. New e-powertrain design methodologies for fast and accurate product development will be developed in this project with strong support of the participating industry partners. Arrival and AVL will integrate the new methods in their design processes and product portfolio (within a 5-year timescale). The project outcomes will be disseminated nationally (and internationally) so that UK automotive manufacturers can directly benefit and the UK maintains its excellence in powertrain technology.

Imagine you are responsible for the digitisation journey of your company's manufacturing. You know by embedding digitisation throughout the whole manufacturing value chain will bring success. However, your manufacturing portfolio is diverse e.g. high volume fast moving white goods, novel pharmaceutical biological drugs, automotive components, chemical synthesis and aircraft avionics. You also design, manufacture and operate nuclear facilities. Each of the sectors claim they are unique; however, your experience evidences the underlying challenges are common - although often articulated in different ways! You have learnt lessons from the 1980's where companies adopted automation because 'it was the new shiny technology" but productivity savings were not always realised, and the Made Smarter Review evidenced that in 2017 productivity challenges, still remain - even though the technology is available. You know that people are the critical element. You have seen manufacturing systems fail to deliver because of employee pushback, lack of engagement/skills/leadership as well as poor change management (Made Smarter Review 2017, Vander Luis Da Silva, et al. 2020). You recognise to create value in manufacturing through digitalisation needs investment in people. It is your view that the right combination of current technology, data and people can deliver SMART manufacturing today i.e. if we have the right people, we can be responsive, reactive, make smart decisions to maximise manufacturing value using live data and information. However, to achieve digitally engaged people, especially in manufacturing you believe there needs to be a process for manufacturing companies to follow, regardless of sector and size. The vision of this centre is to enable 'UK Manufacturing to improve their productivity year on year by investing in their biggest assets - people"". This investment will lead to the uptake of digitalisation. As part of our ambitious centre, Theme 4 - "Societal and cultural change: managing the disruptive impact of digital technologies." i.e. achieving digitally engaged people is core and will account for up-to 65% of our activities. Around 56% of UK manufacturing (Q2, 2019) are SMEs which are critical to UK Manufacturing. To meet our goal of digitally engaged people our research will engage the whole manufacturing value chain through Theme 3 - "connected and versatile supply chain" our second core theme However, we recognise investing in people will 'touch' all of the themes and our networking activities will be crucial in leveraging value from the Made Smarter investments. In summary, our hypothesis is that regardless of manufacturing sector and company size a common process leading to digitally engaged people is achievable in practice i.e. in industry. Impacts from embedding our research into aerospace manufacturing demonstrated the data/information engineers believed they needed, was not the data/information they used to make decisions. We were able to increase their productivity by 47% through a combination of manufacturing digitalisation and human factors. This was achieved through a step-by-step process, using data analytics, human factors and observing people in action. Our centre will build on this expertise and create a generic process for use across UK manufacturing - leading to increased productivity.

The CDT in Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems will produce the graduates who will bring together the many technical disciplines and skills needed to allow propulsion systems to transition to a more sustainable future. By creating an environment for our graduates to research new propulsion systems and the wider context within which they sit, we will form the individuals who will lead the scientific, technological, and behavioural changes required to effect the transformation of personal mobility. The CDT will become an internationally leading centre for interdisciplinary doctoral training in this critical field for UK industrial strategy. We will train a cohort of 84 high quality research leaders, adding value to academia and the UK automotive industry. There are three key aspects to the success of the CDT - First, a diverse range of graduates will be recruited from across the range of first degrees. Graduates in engineering (mechanical, electrical, chemical), sciences (physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology), management and social sciences will be recruited and introduced to the automotive propulsion sector. The resulting skills mix will allow transformational research to be conducted. Second, the training given to this cohort, re-enforced by a strong group working ethos, will prepare the graduates to make an effective contribution to the industry. This will require training in the current and future methods (technical and commercial) used by the industry. We also need the graduates to have highly developed interpersonal skills and to be experienced in effective group working. Understanding how people and companies work is just as important as an understanding the technology. On the technology side, a broad system level understanding of the technology landscape and the relationship between the big picture and the graduate's own expertise is essential. We have designed a programme that enriches the student's knowledge and experience in these key areas. Third, underpinning all of these attributes will be the graduate's research skills, acquired through the undertaking of an intensive research project within the new £60 million Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS), designed from the outset to provide a rich collaborative environment and add value to the UK economy. IAAPS will be equipped with world leading experimental facilities designed for future powertrain systems and provides dedicated space for industry and academia to collaborate to deliver research valued at over £100 million during the lifetime of the CDT. The cohort will contribute to and benefit from this knowledge development, providing opportunities to conduct research at a whole system level. This will address one of the most pressing challenges of our age - the struggle to provide truly sustainable, affordable, connected, zero emissions transport needed by both industrialised and emerging economies. To enable these benefits we request funding for 40 studentships and the infrastructure to provide a world class training environment. The university will enhance this through the funding of an additional 20 studentships and access to research facilities, together valued at £5 million. Cash and in-kind contributions from industrial partners valued at a total of £4.5 million will enhance the student experience, providing 9 fully funded PhD places and 30 half funded places. The research undertaken by the students will be co-created and supervised by our industrial partners. The people and research outputs that from the CDT will be adopted directly by these industrial partners to generate lasting real world impact.