Oxford battery tech company teams with Mercedes to build world first Li-S plant

Published by

Nicky Godding

Next generation battery technology company, OXIS Energy and the Minas Gerais Development Company CODEMGE have signed a 15 year lease agreement with Mercedes Benz Brazil (MBB) to take possession of a plant located at the MBB manufacturing site in Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais, in south east Brazil.

Oxis Energy, which is based at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon, is developing an innovative Lithium Sulfur [Li-S] battery chemistry that it says will revolutionise the rechargeable battery market. With a theoretical energy density five times greater than Li-ion, OXIS patented Li-S technology is lighter, safer and maintenance free.

The company has successfully developed a standard Li-S battery module that saves production time and cost. It is the key building block for customer batteries and can be used in electric buses, electric trucks, aircraft and marine vessels.

NORDIKA Pharmaceutical of Brazil will undertake the design and engineering of the plant in Brazil. Upgrading the site will begin immediately and will involve an investment in excess of US $50m. The target is to have the fully digitalised plant commissioned and operating by 2023.

Phase 1 will be to lease around 20,000 sq meters for the production of five million Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) cells per annum with the option to extend and double the estate and cell capacity.

This will create hundreds of mainly high-skilled jobs over the next ten years with OXIS having access to the expertise and innovation of students at the reputable universities of Juiz de Fora. Reflecting its collaborative success with universities in the UK and Europe, OXIS is actively seeking collaborations with Brazilian universities.

Huw Hampson-Jones, CEO OXIS Energy said, " Within five years, this factory will be a centre of excellence producing world class Lithium Sulfur cells and battery systems. Exporting worldwide to a range of markets: Aviation, Defence, Heavy Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Light Commercial Vehicles and large Marine Vessels, our aim is to aid the Brazilian Government to eliminate all ICE ( internal combustion engine) buses over a period of 25 years, equating to the production of over 4bn cells. Brazil has the third largest bus market in the world, with 700,000 ICE buses currently in circulation."

OXIS and CODEMGE are already engaged with several Brazilian blue chip companies to use its Li-S cells for the electrification of regional aircraft, buses and trucks and are collaborating with Brazilian aircraft manufacturers to build electric aircraft in the country. CODEMGE is also supporting OXIS Energy in its work with numerous US, European and Japanese aircraft producers.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.