Britishvolt signs deal for battery scale-up facility

Electric vehicle battery company, Britishvolt, has partnered with logistics real estate operator Prologis to build its UK battery cell scale-up facilities in Hams Hall, West Midlands.

The location is home to the internationally-renowned battery ecosystem of WMG, Advanced Propulsion Centre and UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.

This new site will create and sustain upwards of 150 highly skilled and well-paid technology jobs.

The facility enables Britishvolt to rapidly ramp up cells that are production ready to be manufactured in larger volumes at its Northumberland Gigaplant.

With a budget exceeding £200m, the new site hopes to unify 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.

Paul Franklin, Property Director, Britishvolt, commented: “This is another important milestone for Britishvolt, UK plc and its world class automotive industry. The UK’s battery ecosystem is a global leader in integrated technology development and industrialisation with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

“I am delighted to see Britishvolt lead the UK’s journey into re-industrialisation with the first full-scale battery Gigaplant. The new R&D and scale-up facilities announced today will help the UK build on its home-grown battery intellectual property and level up the country ready for the energy transition.”

The company says Hams Hall is destined to become a centre of excellence for all things EV/Electrification, with major automakers close by.

The facility will complement the Britishvolt value proposition for customers at Cambois, Northumberland and support the smooth startup of Gigaplant operations in 2024.

Practical completion of the development is anticipated in July, with fit out and equipment installation to be undertaken through to end Q3, 2023.

Britishvolt
www.britishvolt.com