MAGNETIC SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY LIMITED

Their core work

Magnetic Systems Technology is a Sheffield-based SME that develops electromagnetic drivetrain technology for retrofitting conventional diesel buses to all-electric operation. Their core proposition is reducing the operating cost burden on urban bus operators by converting existing fleets rather than replacing them — a fundamentally different approach from new-vehicle manufacturers. They successfully advanced through both phases of the EU SME Instrument with their REBOOT concept, suggesting they moved from validated feasibility to full product development. Their name and project focus point to proprietary magnetic/electromagnetic motor or drive system technology as the technical differentiator.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The available data covers a single continuous initiative: REBOOT ran as a Phase 1 feasibility study in 2014–2015 and then as a full Phase 2 development project from 2016–2018. There is no keyword data to trace a thematic shift, and the organisation's entire H2020 record is concentrated on one product concept. What the timeline does show is a deliberate, milestone-driven development arc — this is not an organisation that scattered effort across multiple ideas, but one that took a single technology from concept to funded development within four years. No post-2018 H2020 activity is recorded, so it is not possible to determine whether they pivoted, scaled commercially, or became inactive after the project ended.

All recorded activity points toward bringing a specific electric bus retrofit product to market; a potential collaborator should investigate whether this technology reached commercial deployment after 2018 before assuming the organisation is still active in R&D.

How they like to work

Magnetic Systems Technology operated exclusively as a sole coordinator across both H2020 projects, with no recorded consortium partners — consistent with the SME Instrument format, which funds single companies rather than consortia. This means there is no evidence of how they behave as a partner within a multi-organisation team. Anyone considering them for a consortium role should treat them as an unknown quantity in collaborative settings, while recognising that their ability to lead and deliver a project independently is well demonstrated.

No consortium partners are recorded across either project, which reflects the SME Instrument funding structure rather than deliberate isolation. Their broader industry and supply-chain network — if any — is not visible through H2020 data alone.

What sets them apart

Rather than competing in the crowded new electric vehicle manufacturing market, Magnetic Systems Technology targeted the retrofit opportunity — converting the vast existing stock of diesel urban buses already owned by operators. This approach reduces the capital barrier for fleet electrification and speaks directly to bus operator economics rather than procurement budgets. If their electromagnetic technology proved viable, it would be applicable to any market where bus fleets exist but new vehicle procurement is constrained — a large addressable market across Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Highlights from their portfolio

• REBOOT (Phase 2)
  With €1.47M in EC funding, this is one of the larger SME Instrument Phase 2 awards in transport and represents the full commercial development stage of the electric bus retrofit concept.
• REBOOT (Phase 1)
  The successful Phase 1 feasibility award (€50K) that preceded Phase 2 demonstrates the concept passed EU evaluator scrutiny for technical and commercial viability — a meaningful threshold for a small company with no prior EU project record.