Battery tech pioneer Britishvolt strengthens partnership with WMG, University of Warwick, to ramp up UK electric vehicle battery production
June 22, 2022
- The multi-million-pound [£] project with WMG, University of Warwick, is pioneering battery technology in the UK
- Research from WMG, University of Warwick, will help Britishvolt to ramp up the availability of batteries for electric vehicles, and other applications, in the UK and beyond
- The project is accelerating Britishvolt’s business plan to deliver a 38GWh battery Gigaplant, one of the largest industrial investments ever undertaken in the UK
- Britishvolt recently announced exciting plans for a scale-up production centre in the epicentre of the automotive industry located at Hams Hall, West Midlands, creating what it calls a “Battery Corridor” – linking the Northumberland site with the UK’s automotive heartland
- The Gigaplant will build enough cells each year for well over 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs, equivalent to [c]25% of current UK vehicle manufacture, securing Global Britain’s position on the sustainable battery production map
Northumberland, UK, 22/06/2022: Battery technology pioneer Britishvolt has extended its contract with WMG, University of Warwick, to develop battery cell technologies and accelerate the route to market, in a multi-million-pound [£] deal.
Following an initial 12-month project, Britishvolt and WMG are now embarking on a two-year programme of work. WMG’s research will assist with battery cell development and optimisation including small-scale manufacturing to produce battery electrodes and cells using Britishvolt target materials sets, formulations and cell designs. These will then be tested according to Britishvolt’s agreed protocols.
“Britishvolt are delighted to extend and expand our relationship and programme of work with WMG, University of Warwick. The battery science, advanced materials and cell prototyping expertise and capability at WMG has directly, and positively, supported our battery technology development programme.
This gives us not only an excellent basis to progress from, as we seek to scale and commercialise our technologies, but the relationship also enables Britishvolt to continue to develop our products further, as we continually strive to deliver best-in-class, market-leading, cell technologies to our customers.”
Britishvolt Battery Research video
The project is helping Britishvolt to deliver a 38GWh battery Gigaplant, one of the largest industrial investments ever undertaken in the UK. The facility, located in the North East of England, will quickly increase the availability of batteries required at commercial scale for the electric vehicle market, and beyond – playing a key role in helping the UK reach its carbon net zero target by 2050.
Dr Allan Paterson, Chief Technical Officer, Britishvolt
“WMG, at the University of Warwick, is delighted to be supporting Britishvolt as they set up large scale battery manufacturing and research facilities in the UK. This industry will be critical for the future of the UK automotive and energy sectors.
WMG has been investing over the last decade in the research and development capabilities needed to help Britishvolt and other battery companies to be internationally competitive now and in the future.”
Further exciting announcements are expected from Britishvolt in the coming months as it grows and continues to pioneer new battery cell chemistries and formats.
Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG
Britishvolt: Power with Purpose
The Northumberland Gigaplant – Britishvolt’s first large, full-cycle Gigaplant in the UK – will have a total capacity of over 38 Gigawatt Hours by the end of the decade and will produce enough cells far in excess of 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs per year, intended primarily for use in the automotive industry. The development is a major boost for Northumberland, and the UK, delivering around 3,000 direct skilled jobs and another 5,000-plus in the associated supply chains.
Britishvolt’s collaborations with academia, industry and private enterprise will also help transition the UK from fossil fuels to a low carbon, battery-based electric future.
The release of an official A-sample battery cell to customers, which is scheduled later in 2022, will help to further accelerate commitments.
Britishvolt recently announced that it will develop its UK battery cell scale-up facility in the West Midlands, home to the internationally renowned battery ecosystem With a budget exceeding £200m, the plan looks to create upwards of 150 highly skilled, well-paid jobs; unifying the Britishvolt Northumberland Gigaplant with a centrally located scale-up/technology hub.
The Hams Hall site will spearhead new cell formats and electro chemistries to create higher performance, production ready, batteries of the future whilst helping lower cell costs for more affordable EVs, aiding mass adoption.
Britishvolt is one of the fastest growing battery technology companies in Europe and globally. The company is also in discussions with the Canadian Government regarding its expansion plans in the country.
Notes to Editors
For more information please contact:
Ben Kilbey, Britishvolt’s Chief Communications Officer:
[email protected] +44 7305 032904
About Britishvolt
Battery pioneer and technology innovator, Britishvolt, is focused on development of next-generation battery cell technologies and associated research and development. It is dedicated to developing the future of electrified transportation and sustainable energy storage, producing best-in-class, low-carbon, sustainable, responsibly manufactured lithium-ion battery solutions. Not all batteries are created equal.
Her Majesty’s UK Government announced on January 21, 2022, its support for Britishvolt from its Automotive Transformation Fund delivered by the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
Britishvolt acquired battery cell developer and manufacturer, EAS, in May 2022, that will allow it to develop and scale up its larger 46xx high-performance cell formats and get them to customers quicker and more efficiently. The deal is subject to completion and any regulatory approvals.
Britishvolt believes that low carbon, sustainable, responsibly manufactured battery cells can help positively change the planet. The time has come to transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable, low carbon electricity. The world deserves a clean air future for all.
WMG, University of Warwick
WMG is a world leading research and education group, transforming organisations and driving innovation through a unique combination of collaborative research and development, and pioneering education programmes.
As an international role model for successful partnerships between academia and the private and public sectors, WMG develops advancements nationally and globally, in applied science, technology and engineering, to deliver real impact to economic growth, society and the environment.
WMG’s education programmes focus on lifelong learning of the brightest talent, from the WMG Academies for Young Engineers, degree apprenticeships, undergraduate and postgraduate, through to professional programmes.
An academic department of the University of Warwick, and a centre for the HVM Catapult, WMG was founded by the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK manufacturing and improve competitiveness through innovation and skills development.
Safe Harbour.
Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectation intended to qualify for the ‘safe harbor’ under the U.S. Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.
The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, competition including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, equipment procurement, wage increases, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time contracts or time and material construction contracts, customer concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage international operations, reduced demand, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages related to battery service agreements, the success of the companies in which Britishvolt has made strategic partnerships, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies and unauthorised use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. In addition, please note any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release.
