BEIS aims to push UK to forefront of battery technology

Published:  04 October, 2017

The Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has launched the £246 million Faraday Challenge to boost UK expertise in battery technology.

Business Secretary Greg Clark made the announcement as he also launched the £45 million ‘battery institute’ competition to establish a centre for battery research to make the technology more accessible and affordable. This is seen as the first phase of a four-year investment round, which will deliver a coordinated programme of competitions aimed at growing R&D into batteries.

There will also be an ‘Advanced Propulsion Centre’ which will work with the automotive sector to identify the best proposition for a new open access National Battery Manufacturing Development facility. Innovate UK will play a key role in helping to deliver results of research into industry where it can be put into action.

Professor Philip Nelson, chief executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRCP), said “Batteries will form a cornerstone of a low carbon economy, whether in cars, aircraft, consumer electronics, district or grid storage. To deliver the UK’s low carbon economy we must consolidate and grow our capabilities in novel battery technology.”

See our News Analysis for further insights into the impact of battery technology on the UK’s energy market.