Midlands-based battery manufacturing business Volklec has agreed an exclusive license agreement with Asian battery supplier Far East Battery (FEB).
In a technology and knowledge transfer agreement, Volklec will manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries in the UK.
Production starts later this year from Volklec’s launch base at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC), supported by a delivery partnership team of specialists from FEB in China to ensure a high yield, high quality manufacturing line in readiness for the start of production in Coventry.
Two specifications of advanced lithium-ion 21700 cylindrical battery cells will be manufactured by Volklec. First to production will be a proven energy cell, which is a compact cylindrical cell using NMC chemistry to serve the e-mobility and energy storage sectors.
This will be followed by an innovative power cell aimed primarily at servicing the High Value Manufacturing sector, in particular specialist applications within automotive, aerospace, marine and off highway.
Volklec will be using UKBIC’s current 100MWh line to produce the energy cell, with an additional 1GWh production line to be installed by the end of 2026 to manufacture the power cell.
Volklec’s strategic roadmap includes a dedicated 10GWh gigafactory representing an investment of more than £1bn and creating more than 1,000 highly skilled jobs by the end of the decade.
A team of highly experienced executives form the management of Volklec, leading a group of technical specialists based at the company’s launch base at UKBIC. It will be led by Executive Director, Phil Popham, who ran Jaguar Land Rover operations globally, served as CEO of Lotus Cars, and also Sunseeker in the luxury marine sector.
Also in the team is Ron Lee as Chief Technical and Manufacturing Officer, having formerly served as Global Director of Powertrain Engineering at Jaguar Land Rover; Shakeel Meharban as Chief Commercial Officer, having formerly served as Managing Director for the Automotive Business Unit of McLaren Applied; and Nikki Rimmington as Head of Strategy, having formerly served as Strategy Development Director for InoBat Auto.
Phil Popham said:
“There is an urgent need for new independent manufacturers to secure the battery supply chain in the UK. There is no greater transformation today than the electric revolution in transport and mobility, and the British start-up scene is thriving, from motorsport to heavy duty off-highway and most things in between.
“But there is a substantial gap in the supply chain. The UK is particularly strong in the specialist and high-performance sectors which need surety of supply with quality and reliability. Our mission is to help these innovators thrive.”
Image courtesy of Volklec
