The North East鈥檚 CPI (Centre For Process Innovation) is one of the recipients of a multimillion-pound investment to help turbocharge 海角视频鈥檚 battery production.
A 拢12m investment has been awarded by the Faraday Battery Challenge to the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and CPI at NETPark, in Sedgefield, County Durham. The funding aims to boost production of materials for electric car batteries, through the creation of the new Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre (AMBIC).
Based at NETPark and at WMG in Coventry, the centre will bridge the gap between academic research and battery production, focusing on how batteries can be made to work more efficiently, as well as on equipment and skills development. The centre aims to aid development of the electric vehicle batteries of the future, with reduced costs, more sustainable materials and improved performance.
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At the moment, batteries make up around half the cost of a new electric vehicle, so bringing down production costs is vital if they are to compare with the costs of traditional, combustion engine vehicles. The 拢12m forms part of wider moves by the Faraday Battery Challenge and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to invest in 海角视频 battery production and infrastructure, to boost the domestic battery supply chain.
Frank Millar, chief executive at CPI, said: 鈥淭he Advanced Materials Batteries Industrialisation Centre will enhance the 海角视频鈥檚 existing competitive advantages in batteries technology, and it stands to become a catalyst for the 海角视频 to address some of the biggest challenges we face as a nation. By giving innovators the opportunity to harness our expertise we can tackle issues such as climate change, while growing a sector that will be vital to the future of the economy.鈥
Thomas Bartlett, challenge deputy director for the Faraday Battery Challenge, said: 鈥淎MBIC will bring together two emerging regions of battery innovation and manufacturing; the North-East and Midlands, under one facility to de-risk and accelerate battery materials scale up in the 海角视频. Through the Faraday Battery Challenge鈥檚 拢12mm in the High Value Manufacturing Catapult we will establish a truly world-class facility to support the growth of a battery materials supply chain. With AMBIC and previous investments in cell, module and pack scale-up at 海角视频BIC and R&D in the wider ecosystem, the 海角视频 will now be in a position to support businesses from 鈥減owder to pack鈥 and from lab to commercial scales.鈥
Katherine Bennett, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, said: 鈥淭he next generation of battery technologies are critical to the green energy transition and a major opportunity for 海角视频 manufacturing. Realising that potential will require combining our collective expertise and this investment from the Faraday Battery Challenge is a brilliant example of that in action. In CPI and WMG, the Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre has two centres that are at the very forefront of chemical processing and battery cell development; together they can turbo charge battery materials scale-up.鈥
