Thurso firm AMTE Power said today (December 16) it had been confirmed as a key partner in a new UK Government-funded project to develop ultra-fast charging systems for electric vehicles.
AMTE, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, announced in August it was in line to become a partner in the £9.7 million Celeritas research project.
The initiative – one of a number of government-funded R&D projects aimed at finding solutions to decarbonise commercial and heavy-duty transport – is led by Birmingham-based, low-carbon technologies firm Sprint Power.
From zero to 80% power in 12 minutes
Celeritas partners are specifically aiming to deliver an 80% battery charge in just 12 minutes.
Reducing charge times has been identified as key to accelerating the widespread switch by consumers to electric vehicles.
AMTE chief executive Kevin Brundish said: “A key focus of this project is to target BMW’s future battery specifications and requirements, with each partner bringing innovations to the battery platform.
“It is, therefore, an excellent opportunity to contribute as well as demonstrate the capabilities of our cell technology to the other partners – not just for fast charging but also for fast discharge (acceleration) and, ultimately, vehicle range.”
It currently takes approximately 22 minutes to charge an electric vehicle between 10%-80% for a 280-mile range.
German car-maker BMW Group and UK energy giant BP are among other firms expected to join the “milestone” Celeritas project, AMTE said.
The research will be part-funded by the government through the Coventry-based Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), which works with Westminster, the automotive industry and academia to accelerate the industrialisation of technologies supporting the transition to net-zero emission vehicles.
Shares in Alternative Investment Market-listed AMTE closed up more than 5% at £1.50 following today’s announcement.
It is the second APC-funded project AMTE has been selected to be a key partner in.
The first, announced in June, is Project Ultra, for which AMTE – founded in 2013 – is the lead supplier.
AMTE’s purpose-built cell manufacturing facility in Thurso has the second-largest cell manufacturing capacity in the UK. The company also has a product development team in Oxford.
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