Working alongside lead partners, including Ilika, Ricardo and UCL, CPI is applying its knowledge across the formulation sector to help create a lithium-based solid-state Stereax battery and establish a pre-pilot line for prototype cell technology.
The PowerDrive Line project has received more than £4million in grant funding in order to develop next generation, solid-state battery cells that will charge plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The overall goal is to develop safer and more power-dense battery systems that charge electric vehicles in as little as 15 minutes.
CPI will support the development of the pre-pilot line by utilising its ink formulation expertise, which includes the use of high-throughput equipment for rapid formulation screening. UCL will produce solid-state electrolyte materials via its novel hydrothermal processes, which will be transferred to CPI for formulation. Ilika will support the development of solid-state batteries for automotive applications by leveraging its expertise in micro solid-state battery manufacture.
Part of the Government’s Faraday Battery Challenge, the 30-month project is an integral part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Seeking to lower carbon and tackle air pollution, the fund supports research and innovation that will help to develop new battery technologies for future vehicles, creating a stronger UK solid-state materials supply chain.
Dr Graeme Cruickshank, Director of Formulation at CPI, said: “We are delighted to be using our state-of-the-art formulation capabilities to re-apply our expertise from other advanced coatings to create these products for a greener tomorrow.
“While batteries don’t look like a formulated product from the outside, in the way that a detergent or a paint does, the same science is required to achieve the desired complex material distribution and deposition needed to make these work.”