Funding received for new Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre

CPI is one of the main beneficiaries of a new £12 million investment designed to help boost British production of crucial materials used to manufacture sustainable batteries. 

Based at NETPark (North East Technology Park), in County Durham, and at WMG in Coventry, the Centre will bridge the gap between academic research and battery production, helping to cement Britain’s place as a global leader in battery design and manufacture. 

Building for the future

As the world transitions to electric vehicles, we need to develop new technologies and materials that can help to improve sustainability and boost performance. 

Led by CPI, in partnership with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) which are both part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre will provide a catalyst to develop the sustainable batteries that will power these new technologies. 

This world-class facility will not only focus on how batteries can be made to work more efficiently, but also on developing the equipment and skills we need to lead this sector in the future. 

The new Centre is just part of an ecosystem that’s being developed to fuel Britian’s electric battery aspirations. As a result of this funding CPI will have the capability to produce tens of kilograms of battery active materials, vital components influencing the performance of battery cells. These materials can then be evaluated at WMG in industrially relevant cell formats. These funds are part of a wider investment strategy from the Faraday Battery Challenge and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult that’s designed to ramp up Britain’s battery production and infrastructure. 

Frank Millar, Chief Executive at CPI, said:

“The Advanced Materials Batteries Industrialisation Centre will enhance the UK’s existing competitive advantages in batteries technology, and it stands to become a catalyst for the UK 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.”

Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the WMG High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre. said:

“Cathode and anode active materials make up more than 50% of the value of an automotive battery cell. 

“For the UK to take its great academic research into production, and to capture the billions of pounds of resulting economic value in the UK, we need facilities which allow Britain to scale up and fully evaluate new materials. This investment, alongside the combined skillsets of CPI and WMG will provide that capability for the UK.” 

Thomas Bartlett, Challenge Deputy Director for the Faraday Battery Challenge, said:

“AMBIC 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 UK. 

“Through the Faraday Battery Challenge’s £12m investment 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 UKBIC and the wider ecosystem, the UK will now be in a position to support businesses from ​“powder to pack” and from lab to commercial scales.” 

Katherine Bennett, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, said:

“The next generation of battery technologies are critical to the green energy transition and a major opportunity for UK 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.”