There is a growing global demand for new and more efficient batteries to support the switch to electric transport.
This demand is driven by plans by the UK and other governments to ban the sale of conventional petrol and diesel vehicles within the next two decades.
The battery supply chain could be worth £12 billion to the UK economy by 2025 if the country can establish itself as a global leader in battery technology.
The UK government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Faraday Battery Challenge has up to £317 million to help businesses and researchers to develop market-leading battery technologies.
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £10 million from the fund to invest in feasibility studies and in research and development into promising and innovative battery technologies.
Work could include battery cost, efficiency, and recycling
Projects can focus on a variety of improvements to battery technologies for the propulsion of electric vehicles. They could look at automotive applications or other sectors such as rail, marine, aerospace, defence, or off-highway vehicles where innovation could meet challenging performance requirements or enable electrification.
Areas of work could include:
- cost reduction at the cell and pack level and in manufacturing
- increasing energy density of battery cells
- increasing the power density of battery packs
- eliminating thermal runaway risks
- lengthening cell and pack life
- broadening the temperature ranges for efficient operation of a pack
- new models to better predict range and battery health
- recyclability, including second life, design for end of life, reuse, or recycling
- technologies enabling the efficient design, development, or manufacture of batteries
- next-generation battery technologies
Competition information for feasibility studies
- the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is at 11am on 9 December 2020
- projects can be led by a business of any size working with other businesses or researchers
- projects could range in size between £100,000 and £1 million and last between 3 and 12 months
Competition information for research and development
- the competition is open, and the deadline for applications is at 11am on 9 December 2020
- projects can be led by a business of any size working with other businesses or researchers
- projects could range in size between £300,000 and £1.5 million and last between 3 and 12 months
