NEW COMMISSION TO HELP POWER BRITAIN’S BATTERY FUTURE

Titanvolt CEO Neill Richardson has welcomed the launch of a high-powered commission to address the UK’s urgent need for battery production.

The Policy Commission on Gigafactories will make recommendations on how the UK can scale up its battery manufacturing capacity to support economic growth and sustainable industry.

It’s being chaired by the former Defence Secretary, Lord Hutton, and will include senior cross-party political figures and industry leaders with experience in government policy, manufacturing, energy and national security.

The Commission will consult with stakeholders from industry, government, academia and finance, and is due to publish its findings next year.

National importance

“Increased battery production is of national strategic importance to the UK,” said Neill, who recently told delegates at the Battery Britain conference about Titanvolt’ s ambitions to manufacture next-generation lithium titanium oxide (LTO) batteries in the North East.

“It’s not just an important step on the roadmap to net zero, it will also generate economic growth and create high-quality green jobs. Without a strong battery industry of our own, we run the risk of losing jobs, cutting-edge technology and economic benefits to other countries.”

Benefits for the built environment

At the launch, the Commission pointed to the need for 200GWh of battery capacity to satisfy the demand for cars, commercial vehicles, HGVs, buses and grid storage.

However, Neill also highlighted the potential of Titanvolt’s LTO batteries to bring cleaner, safer and more efficient energy storage to the built environment. “Because it has zero-risk of fire, ours is the first battery technology that can be safely used in flats and terraced houses – something I hope the Commission takes into account in their final report,” he said.

As well as having no fire risk, Titanvolt’s battery technology is more energy efficient than other battery types and is 95% recyclable.