Echion secures Faraday Battery Challenge funding boost
We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded significant funding by the UK Government to undertake a collaborative research project with cell development experts, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG).
Awarded by Innovate UK (IUK), the Faraday Battery Challenge supports the UK Government’s Road to Zero strategy by accelerating the development and commercialisation of battery technologies in the UK. Project DANCER, the successful application between Echion and WMG, was awarded a grant to target the commercialisation of Echion’s innovative XNO® battery material, increasing its competitiveness and reducing the time to market for XNO® applications.
The collaboration will work towards the development of a unique cell designed to meet the increased life cycle and high temperature performance specifications that heavy-industry applications require. Through further testing and development, Echion and WMG hope to surpass the automotive industry’s current expectations and requirements beyond 2025, turbo charging the UK economy to net zero.
Current lithium-ion batteries face performance limitations as a result of the anode used in production. By utilising Echion’s XNO® material, the two organisations believe they can vastly improve performance and generate a battery that better enables industrial applications, supporting the UK Government’s net zero strategy.
XNO® uniquely unlocks ultra-fast-charging capabilities for lithium-ion batteries used in heavy duty applications that demand the highest up-time, lowest total cost of ownership and maximum performance. Lithium-ion batteries powered by XNO® are able to safely charge in less than 10 minutes, maintain high energy densities even at low temperatures, and deliver high power across a cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles.
Sarah Stevenson, Chief Operating Officer at Echion Technologies, welcomed the grant awarding, saying: “The significant support that Innovative UK has provided us is a major boost in our efforts to bring Echion materials to more markets. The development and commercialisation of XNO® is at a crucial stage, and this project will help us to make meaningful progress in demonstrating the positive impacts our materials can bring to standard lithium-ion batteries.
“To be able to undertake this work in partnership with Warwick Manufacturing Group is significant. Their skills and experience in cell design and development will undoubtedly be a major factor in the success of the project.”
Louis Piper, Professor of Battery Innovation at WMG, reiterates Echion’s welcoming of this award, stating: “At WMG, we are looking forward to partnering with Echion to accelerate the cell development of their promising chemistry. This presents a great opportunity to develop Echion’s system, pushing the commercialisation of niobate technology, and tie it into the wider UK battery ecosystem.”