A memorandum of understanding has been signed by a consortium of seven UK-based organisations to enhance the development of solid-state batteries.
The collaborative endeavour will see seven of the industries’ leading companies work to design, evolve, and refine the technology of solid-state batteries, an energy alternative that the group aims to manufacture for the automotive industry. Creating industry-leading infrastructure for the development of solid-state batteries marks what could be a significant step in moving toward the electrification of UK transport, as the nation strives to reach its net-zero emissions goals.
The consortium includes the Faraday Institution (the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research), Britishvolt (a UK Gigaplant developer), E+R (a designer of manufacturing equipment), Johnson Matthey (the UK’s leading battery materials business), the University of Oxford, the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (a pioneering battery manufacturing development facility), and Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), at the University of Warwick.
Achieving net-zero together
Creating innovative green energy solutions will be a crucial part of the UK (and the rest of the planet) attaining its net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets, with the electrification of transport being an essential step in reaching this goal. The UK has outlined that it will strive to reduce carbon emissions to 80% lower than 1990 levels by 2050 and will ban the production of combustion engines by 2030.
By outlawing petrol and diesel car manufacturing, the UK will be required to rapidly upscale its production of electric vehicles (EVs) and relevant technologies that they comprise. The establishment of this new partnership for developing solid-state batteries signifies a major step in the path to the UK achieving its net-zero objectives, with a preliminary design for a prototyping facility already being created and funding starting to be sourced.
Lord Grimstone, the UK Minister for Investment, said: “Collaboration between industry, government and our world-leading academic institutions is putting the UK at the forefront of global efforts to develop innovative automotive technologies, such as solid-state batteries.
“It is the work of our internationally-renowned research and development base, like those brought together by this consortium, that will give us the tools needed to forge a strong and sustainable future for the automotive sector and increase our contribution to combatting climate change.”
Professor Pam Thomas, the CEO of Faraday Institution, said: “I am delighted to be able to announce the formation of this unique consortium for the advancement of solid-state battery prototyping that includes leading UK-based organisations at many stages in the value chain. Our leadership in this venture signals a move towards a role that the Faraday Institution will increasingly play as a trusted convener of significant partnerships between UK industry and academia as a route to commercialise breakthrough science emerging from our research programmes to maximise UK economic value.”
Potential of solid-state batteries
Solid-state batteries display considerable capabilities that may make them a superior alternative to lithium-ion batteries , exhibiting the ability to hold more charge for a given volume, leading to further electric vehicle range and reduced safety management costs.
The first iterations of solid-state batteries will be trialled in consumer electronics, niche automotive applications and autonomous aerospace before they are employed in electric vehicles. The Faraday Institution has estimated that a 7% share of the global consumer electronics battery market and a 4% share of the EV battery market will be held by solid-state batteries by 2030. Furthermore, the global sales revenues from solid-state batteries are forecasted to equate to around $8bn by the end of the decade, rising exponentially to 2050, where the market is expected to become intensive.
Some significant challenges persist in realising globally available and utilised solid-state batteries; however, the Faraday Institution’s SOLBAT project has made substantial inroads to address these issues in the last three years. A cutting-edge facility is under development by the consortium to enable solid-state batteries to emerge from UK laboratories, allowing for larger cells to be manufactured using scalable techniques that will be enhanced through the trial and error of testing prototypes.
Christian Gunther, the CEO of Battery Materials at Johnson Matthey, said, “The realisation of a prototype solid-state battery cell will be a great achievement for the UK battery industry, and this consortium will be a critical enabler for delivering this milestone. Delivering enhanced range and safety over traditional lithium-ion battery technologies will be a key driver for battery electric vehicle adoption, supporting the transition to a net-zero future.”
Dr Allan Paterson, the Chief Technology Officer at Britishvolt, said, “Solid-state is the holy grail of battery solutions. Solid-state batteries have the potential to increase energy density significantly over battery technology available today and could dramatically and positively change the world of electric vehicles. Britishvolt will be at the forefront of commercialising this step-change over the coming years. This collaboration, which includes major global industrial leaders such as Johnson Matthey and academic leadership from University of Oxford, underscores another key objective in our technology roadmap – home-grown intellectual property.”
Professor Peter Bruce, Principal Investigator of SOLBAT, commented: “It’s fantastic to see the culmination of combined UK academic strength in solid-state battery research come to fruition. I’m proud that the work of the Faraday Institution SOLBAT project, led by Oxford University, will make a significant contribution to the UK’s green energy revolution.”
Ian Whiting, the Commercial Director at UKBIC, added: “Our newly opened national battery manufacturing scale-up facility is already contracted to scale new cells and battery packs by companies basing their manufacturing centres in the UK. It’s a really exciting time for this fast-growing industry. We’re scaling technologies that will be the core products of the UK’s emergent Gigafactories. But we need to think even further ahead, and solid-state battery technology is going to be a big part of that. This collaboration is what is needed to give the UK the edge it needs in creating a centre of excellence for solid-state batteries, and we’re excited to be part of it. The bringing together of academic and industrial know-how in this space is key to unlocking Britain’s electrified potential.”
David Greenwood, Professor of Advanced Propulsion Systems and CEO of WMG High-Value Manufacturing Catapult, said: “Early forms of solid-state battery are already around us, but we have yet to see solutions which are both mass-manufacturable and meet the performance and cost targets for future transport applications. There remains a huge opportunity for innovation in this space, and this initiative will provide the route for the UK to fast-track candidate technologies to industrialisation.”
Andrew C Jack, a Sales Director at E&R Group, said, “E&R Group are delighted to be contributing our world-renowned engineering expertise working in partnership Faraday and the wider consortium on this exciting development for next-generation battery production for the UK.”
