The Centre for Advanced Powertrain and Fuels (CAPF) at Brunel University of London is a leading hub for research, innovation, and technological development in next-generation propulsion and energy systems powered by non-fossil fuels. Bringing together specialist expertise in advanced engine technologies, sustainable and alternative fuels, fundamental combustion science, optical and laser diagnostics, and computational modelling, the Centre delivers integrated solutions to meet the evolving needs of the global transport and energy sectors. CAPF provides a genuinely multidisciplinary environment where fundamental research, high-fidelity simulation, and real-world engineering come together to push the boundaries of efficiency, performance, and environmental sustainability.

The Centre comprises several full-time academic staff, dedicated technical personnel, and around twenty doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Its facilities include five fully compliant hydrogen and ammonia engine test cells, advanced simulation tools, and a comprehensive suite of standard and fast-response combustion and emissions analysers to support high-precision experimentation and collaborative industrial research. CAPF also operates a diverse range of single-cylinder research engines from 0.25 to 6.0 litres per cylinder, enabling studies spanning light-duty applications through to large marine-scale systems.

For fundamental investigations, CAPF maintains multiple constant-volume chambers and combustion bombs, fully transparent optical engines, and advanced laser diagnostics for detailed studies of fuel injection, mixture formation, and combustion behaviour. These experimental capabilities are complemented by a full suite of simulation platforms for engine flow, spray, and combustion modelling, including zero-dimensional chemical-kinetics tools, one-dimensional engine simulation software, and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics packages.

CAPF is currently leading more than 15 research projects on the use of hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol in internal combustion engines, funded by EPSRC, UKRI, the European Union, and a wide range of industrial partners. Industry engagement is central to the Centre’s mission: through close collaboration with automotive manufacturers, fuel producers, technology developers, and policy organisations, CAPF ensures that its research delivers practical, deployable, and commercially relevant solutions. With over 20 industrial collaborators, the Centre’s high-efficiency, zero-emission combustion technologies have the potential to accelerate decarbonisation across multiple sectors—including road transport (light-duty vehicles, heavy-goods vehicles, and non-road mobile machinery), maritime applications and ports, electricity generation for data centres and high-performance computing, EV charging infrastructure, and auxiliary power for aviation.