UK Battery Industrialisation Centre opens in Coventry

Boris Johnson getting a tour of the new facility
UKBIC
Boris Johnson getting a tour of the new facility

The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry has been officially opened by prime minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Johnson opened the 18,500m2 national battery manufacturing development facility during a visit to Coventry.

The £130 million national facility has been developed to support UK industry with development of battery technologies for future electrification.

This will support the UK’s climate change targets, which includes achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and, for the automotive sector, an end to the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

UKBIC can be used by any organisation working on batteries for electric vehicles, rail, aerospace, industrial and domestic equipment and static energy storage, who can benefit from finding out whether their advanced technologies can be scaled up successfully before committing to the huge investment required for mass production. 

The facility employs more than 80 battery technicians, engineers, and support staff, with plans for that number to grow to support future project partnerships with industry and research organisations.

Jeff Pratt, UKBIC’s managing director, added: “Completed at deliberate speed during the pandemic, UKBIC is a key part of the UK government’s Faraday Battery Challenge, created to fast track the commercialisation of cost-effective, high-performance, durable, safe, low-weight and recyclable batteries.

“The battery manufacturing equipment installed covers the whole production process from electrode manufacturing, cylindrical and pouch cell assembly, to formation aging and testing and battery modules and packs.  The facility is also a training centre to upskill the UK battery sector.

“The importance of the battery sector to the UK economy cannot be underestimated. The Faraday Institution believes that the equivalent of seven large gigafactories will be needed in the UK and employment in the automotive industry and battery supply chain could grow from 170,000 to 220,000 by 2040.

“As we all look to recover from the impact of Coronavirus, we have the opportunity to help make the UK a global leader in batteries, with UKBIC and the Faraday Institution supporting the UK battery industry to become world leaders.”

UKBIC
www.ukbic.co.uk 

Company

UKBIC

Related Articles

JCB develops its first electric digger  

JCB has developed its first ever electric digger in response to customer demands for a zero emissions machine which can work indoors, underground and close to people in urban areas.
6 years ago News
Most recent Articles

Renishaw highlights career pathways in engineering

There is not one singular blueprint that can lead to a career in the engineering industry. It offers a variety of roles, open to people from diverse backgrounds. To highlight the diversity of skills and experiences in engineering, global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, has created the ‘Employee perspectives’ series.
20 hours ago News

Login / Sign up