Midlands-based battery manufacturer Volklec has reached an exclusive license agreement with Asian battery supplier Far East Battery (FEB).
Under this deal, Volklec will begin manufacturing advanced lithium-ion batteries to FEB designs from the firm’s base at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). Two different specifications of batteries will be developed, both of which can be used in a variety of different technologies.
The first battery type to be manufactured will be a proven energy cell, which is a compact cylindrical energy cell that can be used widely in the emobility and energy storage sectors. Later, a newer power cell format will begin manufacturing, which will be targeted for intense and specialist applications in the automotive sector and the aerospace and marine industries.
The former of these will be produced on UKBIC’s existing 100MWh manufacturing line, but Volklec is also set to develop an additional 1GWh production line by the end of 2026 in order to manufacture the second cell type.
Looking further ahead, Volklec has also stated that it plans to develop its own dedicated 10GWh gigafactory by the year 2030, which it projects will require investment of up to £1 billion and create over 1,000 highly skilled jobs.
As part of this technological and knowledge exchange, a team of specialists from FEB’s base in China will support the Volklec team in ensuring that the quality standards of the products are met.
Volklec executive director Phil Popham said: “There is an urgent need for new independent manufacturers to secure the battery supply chain in the UK. There is no greater transformation today than the electric revolution in transport and mobility, and the British start-up scene is thriving, from motorsport to heavy duty off-highway and most things in between.
“But there is a substantial gap in the supply chain. The UK is particularly strong in the specialist and high-performance sectors which need surety of supply with quality and reliability. Our mission is to help these innovators thrive.”
Battery manufacturing on the rise in the UK
Battery pack developer IONETIC has announced plans to develop a new smart battery production plant in Brackley, England, at a cost of around £5 million. Unlike traditional production lines, the Arc Fab system that this plant will employ is capable of producing a wide variety of battery pack designs on a single line, cutting the time it takes to produce batteries significantly and thus creating optimised EV battery designs in a timeframe of days rather than months.
