Boost For Car Battery Technology

Nearly £1 million of funding has been awarded by the Technology Strategy Board to a consortium led by advanced battery manufacturer Axeon.

The partners, who will match the funding, will develop new battery chemistries that will deliver high energy densities, thus making them ideal for use in plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs).

The £2 million project aims to accelerate the introduction of next-generation batteries that will offer higher energy density combined with lower cost.

It will take advanced battery chemistry out of the research laboratory and into a real-world prototype PHEV application and help to consolidate the UK’s position as a strategic centre for battery development.

Other members of the consortium include the University of St Andrews, a centre of excellence for energy materials, Nexeon Limited, a UK battery materials company developing silicon anodes for the next generation of Li-ion batteries, and Ricardo, a leading provider of technology and engineering solutions to the automotive and transport industries.

Over the next two years St Andrews University will conduct research on potential new electrode materials.

Nexeon will implement appropriate chemical engineering to scale-up material synthesis and optimize electrode fabrication resulting in prototype Li-ion cells based on its proprietary silicon anode technology.

The cells produced will be used by Axeon to construct a usable, PHEV-type battery, with cells engineered into a housing with electrical interconnects and harnessing. Ricardo will perform extensive testing of the battery module integrated into a demonstrator vehicle platform.

Lawrence Berns, CEO of Axeon, said: "As a leading provider of innovative EV battery technology Axeon is delighted to be leading this consortium.

"This project will give us access to exciting new chemistries that will enable us to deliver improved PHEV battery solutions for our customers."

Professor Peter Bruce, of St Andrews University, added: "New generations of lithium batteries are essential if we are to extend the range of electric vehicles and reduce CO2 emissions. We are delighted to collaborate with our industrial partners in addressing this key challenge."

(PR/BMcC)