Britishvolt secures government funding for battery cell gigaplant, selects synthetic graphite supplier

Battery manufacturer Britishvolt has secured additional funding from the UK government’s Automotive Transformation Fund for a new battery cell gigaplant in Northumberland.

“While the overwhelming majority of investment for the project will come from private sources, the ATF’s grant funding is very important in proving that the UK Government is confident that we will deliver on our plans, and this will help to generate further private investment,” said Britishvolt Chief Strategy Officer Isobel Sheldon. “This critical investment…will create over 3,000 direct and 5,000 indirect jobs, and that will also strengthen the UK’s technological base and play a key role in helping the country reach its net zero target by 2050.”

“We have now provided Britishvolt with a final grant offer through the Automotive Transformation Fund,” said UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. “The Blyth gigafactory will turbocharge our plans to embed a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK. The vast site will ensure Britain can fully capture the benefits of the booming global electric vehicle market. The well-paid jobs and growth it will generate for the Northeast of England will be transformational.”

Meanwhile, Britishvolt has made a deal with Chinese firm BTR to supply synthetic graphite and silicon oxide.

“I am delighted to announce this partnership with one of the industry’s very best suppliers,” said Britishvolt Global Chief Operating Officer Timon Orlob. “Not only do we benefit from the technical expertise of BTR, but we also benefit from their global strategy concerning their manufacturing location and upstream material plans. We were always committed to shape global supply chains, and with this collaboration with BTR we are achieving that.”

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XING Mobility launches new integrated battery system for heavy-duty EVs

XING Mobility, a Taipei-based electric powertrain company, has launched a new integrated battery system designed for heavy-duty EVs in the logistics, construction, agriculture and mining markets. “We look forward to collaborating with our partners and customers to accelerate the electrification transformation for all business fleets,” says co-founder and CEO of XING Mobility Royce YC Hong.

The IMMERSIO XM25 has a battery pack with 21700 cells, a BMS, active suppression of thermal runaway and an immersion cooling system which applies Castrol ON EV Thermal Fluid to cells. According to XING Mobility, “Immersion cooling technology is considered to be the most effective method of battery cooling, due to its 100% cell-to-coolant contact, which delivers improved temperature uniformity and allows battery cells to reach their optimal performance levels while remaining extremely lightweight.”

The 1C/1.67C-rated IMMERSIO XM25 offers a cycle life of 3,000, UN38.3 and ECE R100 certificates, and the capability to support up to 800 V by string.

XING Mobility says the IMMERSIO XM25 will be used in a light commercial EV made by an Asia-based vehicle maker, which is expected to begin production in late 2022.