UK’s Faraday Institution awarding $58M to four battery research consortia to accelerate EV adoption

The UK’s Faraday Institution recently announced up to £42 million (US$58 million) in new government funding to four UK-based consortia to conduct application-inspired research aimed at overcoming battery challenges to accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) revolution.

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s independent national battery research institute, and was established as part of the government’s £246-million (US$341-million) investment in battery technology through the Industrial Strategy. Its formation was announced in October 2017 by the Business Secretary Greg Clark.

The Faraday Institution’s goal is to make the UK the go-to place and world leader for battery technology research and it has a clear mission to ensure the UK is well-placed to take advantage of the future economic opportunities from this emerging technology.

With 200,000 electric vehicles set to be on UK roads by the end of 2018 and worldwide sales growing by 45% in 2016, investment in car batteries is a massive opportunity for Britain and one that is estimated to be worth £5 billion by 2025.

Through our flagship Industrial Strategy and its Future of Mobility and Clean Growth Grand Challenges, we are committed to making Britain the ‘go-to’ destination for the development and deployment of this game-changing technology. Government investment, through the Faraday Institution, in the projects announced today will deliver valuable research that will help us seize the economic opportunities presented by battery technology and our transition to a low-carbon economy.

—Business Minister Richard Harrington

The topics for the four projects were chosen in consultation with industry, who will partner closely with each of them. This unique collaboration will help to ensure that the research is producing findings and solutions that meet the needs of business. In addition, industrial partners will contribute a total of £4.6 million (US$6.4 million) in in-kind support to the following four projects:

• Extending battery life – Led by the University of Cambridge with nine other university and 10 industry partners, this project will examine how environmental and internal battery stresses (such as high temperatures, charging and discharging rates) damage electric vehicle (EV) batteries over time. Results will include the optimization of battery materials and cells to extend battery life (and hence EV range), reduce battery costs, and enhance battery safety. With Cambridge, university partners include University of Glasgow, University College London, Newcastle University, Imperial College London, University of Strathclyde, University of Manchester, University of Southampton, University of Liverpool and University of Warwick.
• Battery system modeling – Imperial College London (ICL) will lead a consortium of six other university and 17 industry partners to equip industry and academia with new software tools to understand and predict battery performance, by connecting understanding of battery materials at the atomic level all the way up to an assembled battery pack. The goal is to create accurate models for use by the automotive industry to extend lifetime and performance, especially at low temperatures. With ICL, university partners include University of Southampton, University of Warwick, University of Oxford, Lancaster University, University of Bath, and University College London.
• Recycling and reuse – A project led by the University of Birmingham, including seven other academic institutions and 14 industrial partners, will determine the ways in which spent lithium batteries can be recycled. With the aim to recycle 100% of the battery, the project will look how to reuse the batteries and their materials, to make better use of global resources, and ultimately increase the impact of batteries in improving air quality and decarbonization. With Birmingham, university partners include the University of Leicester, Newcastle University, Cardiff University, University of Liverpool, Oxford Brookes University, University of Edinburgh, and the Science and Facilities Technology Council.
• Next generation solid state batteries – The University of Oxford will lead an effort with six other university partners and nine industrial partners to break down the barriers that are preventing the progression to market of solid-state batteries, that should be lighter and safer, meaning cost savings and less reliance on cooling systems. The ambition of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a solid state battery with performance superior to Li-ion in EV applications. With Oxford, university partners will include the University of Liverpool, University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde, University of Cambridge, University College London, and the University of St. Andrews.

The Faraday Institution is the UK’s independent, national institute for electrochemical energy storage science and technology, supporting research, training, and analysis. The first phase of the Faraday Institution is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF). Headquartered at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, the Faraday Institution is registered charity with an independent board of trustees.

The Faraday Battery Challenge—£246 million over four years—is to develop and manufacture batteries for the electrification of vehicles to help UK businesses seize the opportunities presented by the move to a low carbon economy. The challenge will be split into three elements: research, innovation, and scale-up. It is among the first of six investment areas announced by the government to be funded through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

UK & Netherlands Shell Stations To Add EV Charging

Sometimes, it’s a good thing to change your spots. Shell is doing a bit of that. Shell is not a name I think of at all in terms of clean air infrastructure. More often, I reflect on the problems of the oil company in places it should not be — rainforests, the Arctic, etc. Changing its spots, Shell is offering a new face with a clean air emphasis. Shell is planning a second choice in how it fuels up cars, and it is a good thing for once. Parts of Europe will see the beginning of the change. Some Shell stations in UK and Netherlands will reportedly be adding EV charging stations later this year.

Gas is not cheap at all in that part of the world. The push towards renewable, clean energy is strong in Europe. One of the benefits of electric cars is the convenient ability to charge at home, or perhaps at your workplace, the grocery store, IKEA, etc. However, installing EV charging stations at gas stations can be helpful to bridge gaps in charging infrastructure for those who are out and about and low on charge.

→ Related: What Will The End Of Gasoline Cars Look Like?

An earlier CleanTechnica story on Shell and solar energy showed an adaptive shift might be planned: “Solar energy will comprise the backbone of the world’s energy system in years to come, according to the CEO of Shell (yes, that Shell), Ben van Beurden.”

The interesting/odd thing is that, to avoid a visit to a gas station and not have to smell gas so closely is one of the reasons some of us prefer EVs. On the other hand, I do think this will help many less adventurous types to feel secure. It will also help to normalize the idea of electric cars. People like familiarity. On a long trip without other options, this is a good additional location, I admit, even if $ is at the root. Ever wonder how much $ gas stations bring in with those high-priced bottles of water and snacks?

Shell sees the chargers as a business opportunity to sell more snacks. “We have a number of countries where we’re looking at having battery charging facilities,” John Abbott, Shell director of downstream business, commented in an interview with the Financial Times. “If you are sitting charging your vehicle, you will want to have a coffee or something to eat.”

Inverse.com highlighted the new Shell story with a focus on Tesla charging, but it’s actually non-Tesla fully electric car drivers who could make more use of EV charging stalls at gas stations — Teslas have the most range by far, and they also benefit from access to a fairly widespread Tesla super-fast charging (Supercharging) network. Nonetheless, more charging stations could even help Tesla drivers. Also, note that Tesla is partnering with gas stations in some European countries (e.g., with Orlen in Poland) to install Superchargers.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Van From UK Has Implications For US

An extended range plug-in hybrid electric van is scheduled for production the UK beginning in September. That might have implications for the US market. Here’s why. The city of London has decided that it wants to get rid of its smelly, clattery, and dearly beloved black taxis and replace them with plug in hybrid vehicles, also painted black. The London Taxi Cab Company is owned by Geely Motors, which also owns Volvo. It has just completed the first new automobile manufacturing facility to be built in England in 10 years at a cost of $350 million.

That factory will produce the new TX5 plug-in hybrid electric taxis that will replace London’s diesel cabs over the next several years. That new factory has a capacity of 36,000 vehicles a year. But only about 5,000 TX5 taxis are expected to be manufactured annually. What to do with the excess capacity? Somewhere along the line, Geely also acquired Emerald Automotive. Emerald developed a new hybrid electric van it called the T-001 with engineering help from Riccardo.

Since Emerald is a privately owned company, it is tight lipped about technical details. But a single piece of paper with specifications has surfaced, according to Autocar. It reveals that the T-0001 will have a battery only range of “over 66 miles,” with an additional 342 miles possible once the gasoline engine is activated. It has 442 lb-ft of torque, which can push it to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is said to be 85mph. It also can carry a payload of more than 3,000 lbs.

Autocar believes that Geely intends to use that extra capacity at the new factory to build as many as 30,000 Emerald T-001 vans a year. The TX5 taxi and the T-001 van share the same chassis and powertrain. So far, it has plans to build a short wheelbase version and a longer wheelbase high roof variant, but the platform would also be ideally suited to a minibus configuration.

What does anything that happens in Jollye Olde Englande have to do with things here in the colonies? Well, it turns out the US Postal Service is interested in replacing its fleet of 170,000 gasoline and diesel powered vehicles with electrified products. That contract alone could keep the UK factory humming for 5 years or more. Emerald also maintains a US office in St. Louis.

Some of the biggest polluters on the road are delivery trucks. Replacing them with low emissions plug-in hybrids would be a significant step forward in curbing global emissions. While everyone else is focused on what Tesla Motors is going to do next in the electric passenger car market, Geely could sneak in the back door and establish itself as a leader in the electric delivery van sector. At present, no one is offering an electric delivery van like the Emerald T-001, even though there is a large potential market for such a vehicle.

While some might complain that a fully electric van would be a better option, the truth is that such vehicles are not currently available at a price fleet owners are willing to pay. In this case, half a loaf is better than none. With help from the USPS, Emerald T-001 plug-in hybrid vans could start appearing on American roads in a year or two.

Source: Inside EVs