Amte joins forces with UKBIC
British cell manufacturer Amte Power has signed an agreement with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) to have up to 60,000 of its “ultra-high-power cells” manufactured annually at the research centre over an initial 24-month period.
Amte Power says that the cooperation will take the company into the next phase of its commercialisation plans. The company is now assured that it can deliver the cells in sufficient volume for customers to move on to vehicle trials. Last year, the British company stated that it would mainly serve niche applications (“e-sports cars, stationary applications and the oil and gas market”) with its highly specialised cells. In the meantime, however, the manufacturer is planning a mega-factory in Dundee, Scotland.
The UKBIC – a government-funded research centre for the development of batteries for the British automotive industry – has long been one of Amte Power’s partners, and where production tests for the ultra-high-power cells have already taken place. The partners have now scheduled the start of production for January 2023. The company is now saying that “primarily high-performance electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles” are its target applications. Letters of intent are said to already exist with potential customers such as Cosworth, Viritech and Mahle Powertrain, and development agreements are in place with Sprint Power, Eltrium and BMW.
Kevin Brundish, CEO of Amte Power, says that the contract with UKBIC will allow “us to bring our products to market faster while we continue to develop our own mega-factory”. The new stage builds on the partnership forged with UKBIC through cell development.
“We’re delighted to be entering into this landmark agreement with Amte Power to transfer their design into UKBIC and then manufacture their next generation Ultra High Power cells at volume, allowing us to further support the company’s significant commercialisation plans,” said Jeff Pratt, managing director of the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre. “Advanced battery cells being manufactured at volume in the UK are a vital component of ensuring the UK prospers from the energy transition towards Net Zero. This latest agreement – our biggest to date – is further demonstration of the unique value of UKBIC which, since being opened just over a year ago, is already delivering incredibly successful outcomes for the UK with customers like AMTE.”
Amte Power was founded in 2013 and is based in Thurso, Scotland. The company draws on the intellectual property of technology companies QinetiQ and Faradion Limited for cell development.
Amte says that ramping up production of the Ultra High Power cells at UKBIC is due to start in January 2023.
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