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AMTE Power to partner with UKBIC
AMTE Power, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, has announced it will be one of the first commercial customers to use the publicly funded UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), under a new framework agreement.
UKBIC helps organisations in the UK to prove whether their battery-related technologies – from electrode and cell materials through to battery modules and packs – can be manufactured at the required volume, speed, performance and cost, in order to be commercially successful.
The new agreement will enable the AMTE Power team to transition from product development in its battery manufacturing site in Thurso, Scotland, to larger-scale manufacturing at UKBIC. Initially, the focus will be on the development of AMTE Power’s Ultra High-Power cell, which has been designed for the automotive market specifically targeting high-performance sports cars and high-powered off-highway vehicles.
AMTE Power will become one of the first commercial customers of the £130m UK Battery Industrialisation Centre / Picture: UKBIC
AMTE Power will use UKBIC to prepare materials, aid design for manufacture, and test manufacturing processes and parameters at scale, in advance of full production of the Ultra High Power Cell. This will be an important period of refinement in supporting AMTE Power’s aim to provide a reliable, scalable supply alternative for the UK automotive industry, which by 2030 is moving to become wholly electric.
Looking ahead, a key part of AMTE Power’s increased production plans centres on the building of a new UK manufacturing facility with a capacity of approximately 2GWh per annum, known as a gigafactory. The company expects to confirm plans for the development of the gigafactory in 2022.
Kevin Brundish, chief executive officer of AMTE Power, said: “We are very proud to be one of the first UK manufacturers to use the UKBIC facility as it marks a crucial step for AMTE and the UK battery industry. It will no doubt be critical in helping us to underpin our scale-up plans for manufacturing to enable us to serve the significant potential demand we see for our products in the automotive, oil & gas, and energy storage markets.”
Jeff Pratt, managing director of UKBIC, added: “We’re delighted to be working with AMTE Power on the development of its battery technology, one of the first commercial customers to use our facility. UKBIC will play a key role in the development of skills, technology, abilities, and knowledge as the UK shifts towards electrification.”