Batteries
The UK is at risk of losing out to the rest of Europe when it comes to the automotive lithium ion battery recycling market, according to a new research report published this week by WMG at the University of Warwick and backed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Faraday Battery Challenge at Innovate UK.
Following its purchase of Easystart Ireland last month, Ecobat Battery Technologies (Ecobat) is opening a new branch in Northern Ireland. The branch is located in Crumlin, Co Antrim and will be headed by Colin Watterson, managing director of Easystart since its founding in 2016 and a 20-year battery industry veteran. He will be joined by two Easystart colleagues, Jim Brennan and David McNeill.
Exide Technologies has launched an app to aid workshops when testing batteries. It enables technicians to analyse battery test results and provide customers with battery replacement options within five minutes. Exide notes that as issues requiring replacement may be discovered in more than 20 per cent of tested batteries, using the app opens up a “valuable new revenue stream” for workshops, and helping motorists avoid unexpected failures. It adds that this solution is the first of its kind on the market.
We have all read dire warnings in the press and online about the possible implications of the six-month extension to MOTs and of possible bottlenecks and logjams as everybody leaves it to the last minute to get their vehicles tested. As lockdown measures ease, the demand for routine servicing, repairs and MOTs is already dramatically increasing. Yuasa are encouraging garages to introduce a simple battery check as part of their MOT and service schedules to identify if the vehicle’s battery has been damaged due to reduced usage. At the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is estimated that around 70 per cent of the UK’s cars remained immobile.
VARTA has joined The Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) in the UK. Technical sales manager at VARTA, Andy Cook, has confirmed the new association with the organisation, saying: “Clarios, the Company behind the VARTA brand, is the largest battery manufacturer in the world, and that status naturally comes with longstanding and successful OE partnerships on a global basis, so joining OESSA makes perfect sense for us. Our new membership will help us support the independent garage further, especially in the area of new technology, where we have battery expertise on features like start-stop, where 8 out of 10 start-stop cars fitted with an AGM technology battery, is one of ours.”
Britishvolt, which is purportedly making one of the UK’s largest-ever industrial investments, has announced the appointment of Ray Macera as project director for the construction of Britain’s first battery gigaplant. The new gigaplant is being designed by leading Italian design experts Pininfarina. It is set to be sited on a former RAF base in Bro Tathan, South Wales and will house Britishvolt’s manufacturing and research and development facilities.
As part of its ongoing awareness campaign, Ecobat Battery Technologies (Ecobat), the pan-European business behind Lucas Batteries, has catapulted the globally recognised brand back into the limelight as it takes its place on the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) grid for the 2020 season.
Battery maker Britishvolt has signed an MoU with the Welsh Government to develop a 30 GWh manufacturing plant, and supplementary 200MW solar plant, at the former RAF base at Bro Tathan, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. It is anticipated that the initial £1.2 billion of investment from the company could eventually lead towards up to 3,500 jobs. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2021.
GS Yuasa Lithium-ion cells have been delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) for the fourth time. The transfer marks the successful completion of battery deliveries to support a project to upgrade the craft’s battery system.
McGill University researchers show that affordable materials could prove key for improving the batteries used in electric vehicles. The breakthrough was analyzed and confirmed with the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan. The research was funded by NSERC and supported by Hydro-Quebec.
Ecobat Battery Technologies has followed the launch of its One Box start-stop battery testing and installation solution with a new training, assessment and certification. The first step is a comprehensive video, viewable below, hosted by Ecobat’s Christopher Jones. This offers a step-by-step guide to battery assessment, removal, replacement and validation processes. It also introduces the four parts of the One Box package. Together, Ecobat says they allow technicians to tackle start-stop battery replacement with confidence.
Britishvolt has appointed automotive specialist Charles Morgan, to both its advisory board and board of directors, as a non-executive director.
Charles Morgan, whose grandfather founded world-renowned British brand Morgan in 1909, combines his automotive heritage with a deep global industry knowledge, and a passion for a sustainable, green future. In his new role, he will become a valuable contributor in guiding Britishvolt to realising the full potential of the UK automotive supply chain. Considering his experience in automotive production, the news is reminiscent of earlier analysis that gigafactory battery production could be poised to replace lost OE vehicle construction in the UK post-Brexit and now in the post-corona context.
Following the launch of its One Box start-stop battery testing and installation solution at Automechanika Birmingham last June, Ecobat Battery Technologies (Ecobat), has further developed its offering with the release of a free start-stop battery training, assessment and certification.
University of Warwick
Ecobat
Ecobat
Exide Technologies
Varta
Lucas
Welsh Government
GS Yuasa
Britishvolt
Ecobat