Ilika plc (LON: IKA), a pioneer in solid-state battery technology and materials innovation, announced today the offer of a further £0.9m funding directly to Ilika under the UK Government’s Faraday Battery Challenge: Innovation R&D, round three, for the ‘Granite project’, via the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.
The Granite project, with partners including Jaguar Land Rover, WMG and AGM Batteries, is an 18-month collaborative project which will build on Ilika’s large format solid-state technology ‘Goliath’ and will explore cost-effective routes for scaling-up the Company’s solid-state technology, with the support of AGM Batteries, which has industrial experience in manufacturing Lithium-ion cells. The Granite project has been offered grant funding of £1.8 million in aggregate for all partners, of which Ilika will receive £0.9m directly.
Lead partner Jaguar Land Rover will develop the new battery pack designs to fit within their future electric vehicles. Warwick Manufacturing Group will supply academic excellence in abuse modelling and cell performance evaluation. The consortium’s expertise, backed by Government financial support, will allow Britain’s best talent to be brought to bear, so that the UK can take the lead in this transformative technology.
Solid-state lithium battery technology is widely seen as having the potential to transform the performance and safety of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and PHEVs). The major benefits of solid-state batteries derive from their use of non-flammable solid electrolyte as opposed to the organic solvent used in current lithium-ion batteries, which is both flammable and has a relatively short useful life. In terms of performance, solid-state lithium batteries offer the prospect of much faster charging times, increased energy density, increased life cycle of up to 10 years, and extremely low discharge leakage.
Graeme Purdy, CEO of Ilika, said:
“Solid-state battery technology for automotive application is developing rapidly and key parts of its successful commercialisation will be optimised processes on an industrial scale and competitive pricing. This project will take the important steps of developing a cost-effective model to transfer the technology from Ilika’s pre-pilot line to a pilot line facility, capable of producing these batteries at commercial volumes at an acceptable price point. We have a strong consortium to deliver this project and are looking forward to the delivery of a globally significant technology solution.”
