UKRI invests £27.6m in Faraday Battery Challenge

By Sam Pither

2 February 2023

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Technician use soldering iron to solder metal and wire of lithium-ion rechargeable battery. Repair module of Li-ion battery. Engineer hand holds soldering iron and tin-lead to solder electronic board.

A number of projects using research from the Oxfordshire-based Faraday Institution have received investment from UK Research and Innovation.

UKRI has announced a total of £27.6 million as part of the Faraday Battery Challenge, which is being used to support collaborative R&D projects co-funded by industry and managed by Innovate UK on behalf of UKRI.

The institution, which was founded in 2017 to lead Britain’s research into the next generation of battery technology, has pointed to five of the projects which leverage research developed by its research community.

REBLEND is a project looking to further develop three processes to recover valuable materials from production scrap and end of life automotive and consumer batteries to be reused in automotive batteries, working towards the UK’s automotive battery recycling capabilities.

The project, which leverages technologies developed as part of the Faraday Institution’s ReLiB project, is being led by Ecoshred, with University of Leicester, University of Birmingham, Minviro, Iconichem Widnes, Watercycle Technologies, Ecolamp Recycling, and Cornish Lithium.

About:Energy, a spin-out founded to commercialise the Multi-scale modelling project developed by the Farady Institute, has been awarded investment to further develops its database of battery model input parameters called The Voltt. The project will help organisations use data to speed up the process of battery development, with Imperial College London and Arrival also involved.

OXLiD is working on a new type of battery called quasi-solid-state lithium-sulphur, which have potential applications where high performance, lightweight batteries are needed. The project builds on the Faraday Institution’s LiSTAR project and commercialisation team, and is working with partners at the University of Nottingham, University College London, William Blythe, WAE, Exawatt, Emerson and Renwick, and Infineum UK.

The HISTORY (High Silicon content anOdes for a solid-state battery) project is working on a multi-layer, solid-state pouch cell to be used by electric vehicle pack developers. Once developed, it is hoped solid state batteries will be safer and better than the standard lithium-ion battery technology.

It continues the collaboration between researchers from the University of St Andrews and Ilika, which came together on the Faraday Institution Industrial Sprint on SSBs, and will include Researchers at the University College London and Imperial College London, as well as Nexeon, the Centre for Process Innovation and HSSMI.

The fifth project is EXtrAPower (Enabling Xtreme Automotive Power) which is being led by Nyobolt with University of Cambridge, Coventry University and WAE. The project is developing an ultra-fast battery changing technology, with the aim being to improve cell performance over an extended operating temperature with enhanced life cycle.

Professor Pam Thomas, CEO of the Faraday Institution commented, “The range of new projects funded by Innovate UK that are based on Faraday Institution research clearly demonstrates the success of our organisation in identifying and pursing battery science and engineering ripe for commercialisation.

“The Faraday Battery Challenge is working as intended to marry research, innovation and scaleup to deliver positive impact for the UK. The 17 projects announced by Innovate UK today will help create a thriving and profitable UK battery development and manufacturing industry.”

Tony Harper, Challenge Director for the Faraday Battery Challenge, said, “As we move towards a net zero future the UK’s electric vehicle industry must continue to evolve. These winning projects have all shown how their ideas can potentially accelerate the development of technologies or business practices in the UK. I look forward to seeing how their innovations help to significantly advance the performance characteristics of batteries for electric vehicles.”

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.