British battery start-up Volklec will begin producing cells in Coventry later this year.
It has licensed two lithium ion designs from Chinese firm Far East Battery, each measuring 21mm in diameter and 70mm in length.
The first to enter production will be a cell for e-bikes and suchlike, using nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry, followed by a new and more powerful unit aimed at automotive and aerospace companies.
The intent, according to executive director Phil Popham, is to produce batteries for “underserved” firms, such as Britain's vast network of niche sports car makers.
“We’re not looking at attracting the volume OEMs or volume customers,” said the former Lotus CEO.
Both the cells will be manufactured at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), a development hub backed by the semi-governmental Advanced Propulsion Centre, the University of Warwick and the West Midlands’ local authorities.
Volklec will initially build some 0.1GWh worth of batteries at the UKBIC annually. Once Far East Battery has readied its more powerful cell design, it will look to add another 1GWh production line at the site, dedicated to the newer cell.
The company has already received help from Far East Battery experts, drafted in from China to help it navigate the hurdles involved with getting a new factory running.
“Their manufacturing and process engineers will be with us and will stay with us until we get up to the levels of yield and quality that they get in China,” said Popham.
Popham expects demand from the “underserved” market to outstrip the prospective 1.1GWh supply, saying: “The market is already bigger than that, and that's only going to grow in the future."
Volklec plans to eventually build its own battery factory in the UK, which could yield as much as 10GWh. This would put it on a par with the new Envision AESC development at the Nissan factory in Sunderland.
Popham suggested it could become even larger: “We anticipate that's going to be 10GWh, but it could be different to that because the market is going to grow, and it's going to grow significantly.”
Volklec could also produce batteries of its own design, or even those from another manufacturer, because it isn't locked into an exclusive deal with Far East Battery.
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