Cenex was originally established in 2005 with support from the Automotive Unit of the Department of Trade and Industry (now the Department of Business Innovation and Skills). Cenex was set up by industry members as a first Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell technologies.
Cenex operates as a not-for-profit and is managed by a small team of full and part-time staff, supported by associates. The Cenex management team reports into a Board of Directors consisting of representatives from a core group of member organisations. These members cover the broad cross-section of UK industry interested in low carbon and fuel cell technologies and have played an active role in defining the structure, aims, objectives and priorities for the centre.
Cenex has an established track record of delivering programme and project activities for a range of public and private sector clients associated with low carbon vehicles and infrastructure.
Government clients have included the Department of Business Innovation and Skills, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles and the Technology Strategy Board.
Cenex is known for its research into the market dynamics for low carbon vehicles of all types as well as its analysis work on real-world operation and user behaviour for electric vehicles and vehicles running on natural gas, bio-methane and hydrogen.
Cenex clients include a number of fleet operators who are planning for and implementing carbon reduction measures using low carbon vehicle technologies.
Cenex is also the manager of the Plugged in Midlands project, which is one of the eight UK Plugged-in-Places in the UK. The Plugged in Midlands project team aims to deploy more than 500 charge points across the East and West Midlands.