Latest news with #Gigafactories
Auto Car
a day ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
This is how the UK is trying to become an EV battery powerhouse
The UK's ambition to become a major centre of EV battery manufacture is one step closer as work begins on its first integrated lithium-ion battery recycling and refining facility that is capable of producing the key ingredients of battery cells on an industrial scale. The new plant in Plymouth is the penultimate stage in British company Altilium's four-part plan, which will culminate in the creation of a refinery on Teesside. When it goes live at the end of 2027, this is slated to produce highquality, recycled cathode active material (CAM) for UK gigafactories. Until then, the Plymouth plant will produce recycled nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and lithium sulphate – critical intermediate materials for domestic production of battery cathodes used by a range of industries. Creating the CAM used in EV batteries requires expensive refining. Efforts in this direction have been boosted by rules governing new EV batteries sold in the EU that state they will need to have minimum levels of recycled lithium, nickel and cobalt from 2031, with further increases in 2036. Altilium has developed a process for extracting and processing these metals to the required quality and earlier this year announced it had produced, at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, the UK's first EV battery cells using recycled CAM and complying with those regulations. Why domestic battery recycling is 'vital' The news comes in the wake of a report by the government on battery recycling in the UK. It says a secure supply of critical minerals – such as lithium and cobalt – is vital for economic growth and security. However, the country is currently reliant on the international market, especially China, to supply most of these minerals. One solution, it says, lies in the recycling of lithium ion batteries from the growing volume of endof-life EVs, which, it claims, 'could supply between 39% and 57% of the demand for lithium, cobalt and nickel by 2040'. However, the cost of such work can be prohibitive. Altilium says its approach underlines the sector's fi nely balanced economics. 'We're always looking to optimise our processes to make them cost-effective,' said Altilium spokesperson Dominic Schreiber. 'We're scaling progressively and, crucially, validating everything to ensure we de-risk the business at every stage. Until our Teesside plant comes on stream, our intermediate material will be a necessary income generator.' When that day dawns, Altilium's customers for its Teesside product are likely to include Nissan's current and forthcoming gigafactories in Sunderland and JLR owner Tata's site in Somerset.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Independent
EV battery makers could create 18,000 jobs in the UK by 2030
The UK stands to benefit from 18,500 battery manufacturing jobs by 2030 with up to a quarter of a million jobs created across Europe, according to research from New AutoMotive. With an estimated 62,274 people already employed across Europe in the battery supply chain, total jobs could top 300,000 by 2030 assuming the EU and UK maintain their current targets for electric vehicles. The analysis in new energy focus group New AutoMotive's Battery Supply Chain Tracker focuses on the growth of Gigafactories, where new batteries are made, and battery recycling. The job numbers could be even higher when the wider supply chain is taken into account. The Battery Supply Chain Tracker comes in the form of an app with an interactive map which gives a view of existing and future projects cataloguing mining, refining, electrodes, gigafactories, and the recycling sectors. Ben Nelmes, CEO of New AutoMotive said: 'Jobs in gigafactories and electric car manufacturing are not just a vague promise of the future, they are today's reality. We found that behind the headlines, Europe has a thriving and rapidly growing battery supply chain, creating jobs and contributing to economic growth. 'But this growth is not guaranteed. The development of this exciting and innovative sector depends on growing electric car sales. Europe needs ambitious policies that encourage carmakers to boost their electric car production, so that Europe can take its place in the global economy as a significant producer of the technologies that will deliver clean, cheap, modern transport.' New AutoMotive's research comes days after former defence secretary Lord Hutton launched a Policy Commission to address the UK's need for battery manufacturing across the energy, defence, transport and tech sectors. The cross-party Commission will consult with stakeholders from across industry, government, academia, and investors, and is set to publish its findings and recommendations early in 2026. Lord Hutton said: "Batteries are no longer just a tech issue or an energy issue – they are a national strategic imperative. The UK cannot afford to remain dependent on foreign supply chains for such a vital component of our economic and energy future. This Commission will ask the difficult questions and provide bold but realistic and politically deliverable recommendations to put Britain on the front foot." Both New AutoMotive's latest tracker and the new Policy Commission come as the government is expected to launch its Industrial Strategy in the coming weeks, and at a time when the UK is still negotiating new trade deals. Commenting on the potential jobs highlighted by the Battery Supply Chain Tracker, Chris Heron, Secretary General of European e-mobility trade association E-Mobility Europe, said: 'Hundreds and thousands of jobs are still to play for, across Europe's battery value chain. 'But we need Europe to level up its political support for scaling-up local projects. We can guide policymakers to act with a clear quantification of where investments are happening across their territories. Today's new battery map is a valuable tool here.' Simon Smith, CCO of UK public charging company InstaVolt which recently opened the UK's largest charging superhub, said: 'The sector, from batteries to charging infrastructure, is a huge, huge, opportunity to deliver the jobs of the future across the continent. This interactive map shines a spotlight on just how big the opportunity is.'
