The company looking to build a 3,000-job 'gigafactory' in Northumberland has announced a partnership with one of the world's largest engineering companies.
Britishvolt wants to build the plant to make electric batteries on the site of the former Blyth Power Station, though it has to raise another £1.2bn to make those plans a reality.
The company has now announced an agreement with multinational industrial group Siemens, saying that the deal to share technology will allow it to speed up production of large numbers of batteries.
The partnership with such an established global name is a boost for Britishvolt, whose ambitious goals have met some doubts given that the company is only a year old.
Producing electric batteries in the 海角视频 is seen as crucial both to keeping major automotive companies in the country and to helping it meeting goals on climate change.
The Britishvolt plans would also be a massive boost to the North East economy. If it comes to fruition, the plant could create 3,000 direct jobs and another 5,000 in the supply chain.
Britishvolt CEO Orral Nadjari said: “We are delighted to enter into this technology collaboration.
“Working with Siemens and utilising its global expertise in Digital Twin and simulation technologies will play a pivotal role in Britishvolt achieving its tight deadlines to begin producing world-class batteries, at scale, by the end of 2023.
Most Read
“Being able to simulate production of lithium-ion batteries and cell development speeds up a complicated process and allows us to bring crucial batteries to market quicker. Working with leading global partners such as Siemens helps us stay firmly on course in our mission to build the 海角视频’s first battery gigaplant.”
Britishvolt is aiming to start construction at Blyth in the summer and hopes to begin production of lithium-ion batteries in 2023.
It said the partnership with Britishvolt would help it meet those aims by giving it the opportunity to simulate gigaplant production processes and flows ahead of construction completion, optimising design and efficiencies
Carl Ennis, Siemens' CEO for GB and Ireland, said: “This is an exciting and vital project to quickly ramp up availability at commercial scale of the batteries required by the electric vehicle market to help the 海角视频 reach its carbon net zero goals by 2050.
“In order to give manufacturers and end customers the confidence to switch to electric vehicles, we need to have this crucial part of the supply chain here in the 海角视频.
“Siemens has the manufacturing and energy infrastructure technology and services to help Britishvolt build the most efficient, sustainable gigaplant. We are keen to start working with Britishvolt to get the Blyth site operational by 2023, supplying batteries and delivering crucial investment in the North East, helping to level up the 海角视频 economy.”