UK gigafactory signs tech agreement with UKBIC

Britishvolt, which is building a £3.6bn gigafactory in Northumberland, has signed a two-year multi-million-pound deal with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) to produce its next generation battery cells.

Initial solutions will focus on high nickel, increased energy density materials to produce and test batteries with greater performance and range.

Coventry-based UKBIC, a national battery manufacturing development facility providing battery manufacturing scale-up in the battery sector, has a growing reputation for battery R&D that hopes to put the UK at the front of the race to become a battery and technology powerhouse.

This news is a milestone in Britishvolt’s mission to help car manufacturers on their roadmap to improved electrification and demonstrates the huge demand for batteries in the Race to Zero.

Graham Hoare, president of global operations at Britishvolt, said: “UKBIC is an essential ingredient in BV’s accelerated roadmap to market, providing a platform and environment that delivers high quality development cells in a time period that would be almost impossible in other territories. We are extremely pleased with the service offered by UKBIC and the promising results we’re seeing.

“By working with our customers early we can offer flexibility and specific attributes linked to their application requirements. This is a vital USP and signals that the age of “off the peg” battery production is no longer suitable for all.”

“This is further endorsement of the work the UK Government has done to help develop the world’s best battery ecosystem and accelerate Britain into pole position in Europe. Low carbon, sustainable battery cells, and associated R&D, are the essential ingredients on the glidepath to net zero. Only responsibly produced batteries will lead to a successful energy transition.”

Jeff Pratt, managing director of the UKBIC, added: “We’re delighted to be entering into a two-year, multimillion pound agreement with Britishvolt to develop, assemble and manufacture their next generation sample cells for mass production and commercialisation. The manufacture of low carbon battery cells are vital for a successful energy transition to Net Zero. We are here to support UK companies scaling up their battery production and up skilling their workforce, and we welcome the opportunity to support Britishvolt on their journey.”

UKBIC
www.ukbic.co.uk