U.K. Launches “Proving Factory” to Bolster Auto Technology

The U.K. is promoting auto technology through a new manufacturing incubator in Coventry called the Proving Factory. The facility's aim is to help startups become part of the U.K.'s automotive supply chain, The Engineer reports.

Richard Bruges, the center's CEO, tells the British publication the Proving Factory aims to help fledgling companies commercialize their ideas. The facility can handle as many as 20 projects simultaneously and has capacity to produce as many as 200,000 units annually.

The factory consists of a main 64,500 sq-ft engineering and systems assembly facility in Coventry and a 10,800 sq-ft high-tech component manufacturing center in South Yorkshire.

Bruges says the facility already has helped develop nine technologies, including a tiny gas turbine-powered generator (Bladon Jets), a liquid nitrogen engine (Dearman Engine Co.) and a magnetic gear system (Magnomatics).