(WEV) BRITISHVOLT EXTENDS CONTRACT WITH WARWICK

The UK battery manufacturer, Britishvolt has extended its contract with the University of Warwick to develop battery cell technologies in an undisclosed “multi-million-pound deal”.

The academic and research department of the university, WMG, will collaborate with Britishvolt for a two-year project to develop and optimize battery cells. The project will also include small-scale manufacturing to produce battery electrodes and cells using Britishvolt target materials sets, formulations and cell designs.

“The battery science, advanced materials and cell prototyping expertise and capability at WMG has directly, and positively, supported our battery technology development programme,” said Dr. Allan Paterson, chief technical officer at Britishvolt.

“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 had recently announced its investment of over £200m in a new facility in the West Midlands to test manufacturing methods that will be used at the factory it has planned for in Northumberland. The company plans to lease a site in Hams Hall, Warwickshire, creating what it calls a “Battery Corridor” – linking the Northumberland site with the UK’s automotive heartland.

“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,” said David Greenwood, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG. “This industry will be critical for the future of the UK automotive and energy sectors.” WhichEV - link - Pulkit Malhotra - link - more like this (Britishvolt) - link- University of Warwick - link - more like this (ev batteries) - link

(WEV) BRITISHVOLT ACQUIRES EAS

Britishvolt, the Northumberland-based maker of low-carbon batteries, has acquired Germany’s advanced technology battery cell manufacturer EAS for $38m (€36m).

Britishvolt has signed a Sales and Purchase Agreement with one of Europe’s leading battery solutions companies Monbat Group to acquire EAS as the English battery maker advances its drive in the R&D and manufacture of electrified transportation and sustainable energy storage, the company said.

A subsidiary of Monbat Group, EAS specialises in developing and producing large format lithium-ion cells from 7.5 Ah to 50 Ah, using innovative and compact electrode production technology.

“The acquisition of EAS will allow us to scale up the final part of the 46xx cell development and commercialization programme and put this leading cell product in the hands of our automotive customers,” Orral Nadjari, Founder and CEO, Britishvolt, said of the acquisition, the second in their history, and first overseas.

Earlier this month, Monaco-based shipping firm Scorpio made a strategic investment in Britishvolt aiming to decarbonize the maritime industry.

“Following on from our recent announcement of a development roadmap to marine battery solutions, EAS will also facilitate getting battery systems to this particular market segment quicker and help the pathway to decarbonisation,” Nadjari said.

The company said EAS battery solutions were adopted for aerospace and defence, submarine and marine, and automotive applications in Europe, Asia and North America. Prominent business partners such as NASA are already powered by the company’s cells. WhichEV - link - Farooq Baloch - link - More like this - link - University of Oxford - link - more like this (batteries) - link - more like this (Germany) - link

(AUC) BRITISHVOLT ADDS ASTON MARTIN TO STABLE

Aston Martin has agreed a deal with Britishvolt to develop “high-performance” batteries for its EVs, which will arrive from 2025.

It is the latest high-end car maker to announce a partnership with the Blyth-based battery firm, following Lotus’s recent news that it will use batteries supplied by Britishvolt for a new electric sports car.

Aston Martin said it is targeting “new standards of repeatable on-track performance, charging time and range” from its electric vehicle programme as it seeks to “create the most desirable ultra-luxury performance EV”.

A joint research and development team from both firms will design, develop and industrialise battery parks including bespoke modules and battery management systems. It will also maximise the capability of cylindrical high-performance cells being developed by Britishvolt for use in Aston Martin EVs, according to the car maker.

The Gaydon-based firm’s first plug-in hybrid, the mid-engined Aston Martin Valhalla supercar, arrives in 2024, its first EV in 2025 and by 2026, all new ranges will have an electrified powertrain variant.

Aston Martin, which already uses Mercedes powertrains and other components, said the partnership with Britishvolt is complementary to its existing agreement with Mercedes-Benz. Autocar - link - Rachel Burgess - link - Britishvolt - link - more like this - link

(ANE) GEELY'S LOTUS SIGNS DEAL WITH BRITISHVOLT

BLYTH, England -- Britishvolt said it will develop batteries for a full-electric sports car in partnership with UK automaker Lotus, the first publicly announced customer for the electric-vehicle battery startup.

Britishvolt said the research and development that will go into developing battery cells for a high-performance sports car for Lotus will ultimately trickle down to benefit battery cells for more affordable, mainstream EVs.

Lotus, which is owned by China's Geely and Malaysia's Etika Automotive, has said it plans to sell only full-electric models by 2028.

The automaker will also expand its range to include high-end electric cars and an SUV, the automaker said on Friday in a statement. The company released a sketch of one of its future electric cars.

"Lotus is delighted to be collaborating with Britishvolt to develop new battery cell technology to showcase the thrilling performance that a Lotus EV sports car can deliver," Lotus managing director Matt Windle said in the statement.

Automakers are racing to develop EVs ahead of looming fossil-fuel car bans in Europe and China.

That poses challenges for sports cars and supercars, which need a great deal of sustained power without lots of additional battery weight.

"Lotus is a performance brand with an ambitious plan," Britishvolt executive chairman Peter Rolton told Reuters during a visit to the construction site for Britishvolt's planned battery plant site in the northern English town of Blyth, a large former coal storage site overlooking the North Sea.

"In order for that to work, they need to have performance that goes with the vehicle, and you won't get that from a standard battery."

Rolton said Lotus was the first in a number of customer announcements Britishvolt would make in the coming weeks, including for high-performance vehicles, mainstream EVs and electric commercial vehicles that will require durable, long-lasting batteries.

Last week Britishvolt secured UK government backing for its Blyth plant unlocking 1.7 billion pounds ($2.28 billion) in private funding.

When the 3.8-billion-pound, 45 gigawatt-hour (GWh) plant is fully operational in 2027 it should be able to produce battery packs for over 450,000 EVs annually. Automotive News Europe - link - Nick Gibbs - link - Britishvolt - link - more like this - link

(GUA) BRITISHVOLT SECURES £100M FUNDING

A rendering of the electric car battery Britishvolt plant set to be built near Blyth, Northumberland. Photograph: Britishvolt

The UK government will invest £100m in Britishvolt as the car battery manufacturing startup seeks to build Britain’s first large-scale “gigafactory” in the north-east of England.

The government’s Automotive Transformation Fund will invest alongside asset management company Abrdn and its majority-owned property investment arm, Tritax, to fund a sale and leaseback deal for the huge building that will house the electric car battery factory, near Blyth in Northumberland.

Peter Rolton, Britishvolt’s executive chairman, said: “The UK automotive industry needs a local source of batteries. Chinese or other Asian imports are not going to be an option. There will be very, very significant shortfalls of batteries. We are absolutely vital to maintain the UK industry and support those jobs.”

Britishvolt is one of two major UK battery manufacturing projects that has secured funding, alongside an expansion of an existing plant at Sunderland owned by China’s Envision that supplies to Nissan.

The company is hoping to build the plant rapidly with the aim of supplying a large part of the UK car industry’s needs as it transitions from internal combustion engines to electric cars that produce zero exhaust emissions. It is in talks with several potential clients, and sportscar maker Lotus has signed a memorandum of understanding, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

The plant will employ about 3,000 workers when it is at full capacity in around 2028. The first batteries are scheduled to start production in 2024 to take advantage of rising demand ahead of the UK’s 2030 ban on new cars without a battery.

The government and Britishvolt declined to detail the size of the government investment, citing commercial confidentiality. However, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said it was worth about £100m. The Guardian - link - Jasper Jolly - link - Britishvolt - link - more like this - link

(CEN) CREATION OF BRITISHVOLT GIGAFACTORY BEGINS

ISG has started enabling works this morning on a battery gigaplant for manufacturer Britishvolt in Cambois, Northumberland.

Sources estimate the 2.7m sq ft factory project, which has been designed by Italian architect Pininfarina, could be worth approaching £300m.

Richard McDonell, Britishvolt Project Director, said: “Today is a historic day as it marks the start of construction on the UK’s premier Gigaplant, Britishvolt – a landmark event for UK manufacturing and the automotive industry on the road to zero.

“It is a pleasure to see our tier one construction partner ISG, and its world-class workforce, commence preliminary works on site ahead of the main construction programme, which we anticipate will start in late autumn/early winter.

“This initial phase will see the site cleared and preparatory work carried out for the services and infrastructure that will support construction activity.”

Main construction work will see more than 2,500 people involved in the project - link - Grant Prior - link - more like this - link

UK SOLID STATE BATTERY START UP

A Jaguar Land Rover worker in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands. The company is building a range of electric cars in the UK. Photograph: Jaguar Land Rover/PA

British manufacturers believe the UK could become a significant exporter of solid-state batteries that could pave the way for lighter, longer-range electric cars within a decade, as a group of companies teamed up to develop prototypes.

The FTSE 100 chemicals company Johnson Matthey, the battery startup Britishvolt, which is backed by Glencore, and Oxford University are among the seven institutions that have signed a memorandum of understanding promising to work together on the technology.

Solid-state batteries are considered by many analysts to be the most likely technology to offer significant improvements in range and charging times for electric vehicles. Almost all electric vehicles in production use variations on lithium ion batteries.

“It’s an export opportunity for UK plc,” said Maurits van Tol, Johnson Matthey’s chief technology officer. “There’s such a strong need for batteries that I’m not afraid of there being one winner and one loser. There is space for many players and there is space for the many applications that we need to electrify.” - link - Jasper Jolly - link - more like this - link - more like this (UOX) - link