Britishvolt partners with BTR as synthetic graphite anode supplier for the manufacture of its electric vehicle (EV) batteries

Britishvolt, the electric vehicle (EV) battery technology company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BTR for the supply of synthetic graphite and silicon oxide to be used in selected phases of its battery manufacturing processes.

The anode material will be produced using renewable energy and is aligned with the company’s desire to select the best materials and develop partnerships with world-class suppliers.

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BTR plans to build a sustainable manufacturing footprint in Europe that will, not only, bring the production of these materials closer to the Britishvolt Gigaplant in Northeast England, but also reduce embedded carbon in Britishvolt’s supply chain and utilise base materials from upstream supply chains in the UK. Britishvolt recently confirmed UK Government funding for its Northumberland electric vehicle battery cell Gigaplant. 

The news follows Britishvolt securing a portion of its cobalt requirements from strategic partner Glencore and the recent announcement of a JV with Indonesia’s VKTR for nickel sulfate. All are perfectly in tune with Britishvolt’s business plan to secure raw materials supply that will ensure its manufacture of low carbon battery cells.

Timon Orlob, Britishvolt Global COO, said: “I am delighted to announce this partnership with one of the industry’s very best suppliers. Not only do we benefit from the technical expertise of BTR, now and in the future, 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.”

Security of supply remains a hot topic and the news follows other strategic agreements made by the battery cell manufacturer. Graphite production is hugely energy intensive, much like the bulk of the battery manufacturing industry, and it is essential to use renewable energy to produce batteries that are truly sustainable and low carbon.

Britishvolt has already signed MoUs with four separate original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Lotus and Aston Martin, which have cumulative demand in excess of 6GWh in 2025. This will set the stage for the full 38GWh factory capacity that will be supplied annually from its Gigaplant site in Northumberland.

Britishvolt have already developed successful A Samples and is scaling up its unique cell formulations at UKBIC in Coventry and will also have its own scale up facilities from 2023 at Hams Hall in the Midlands, UK. Release of official A-sample battery cells to customers, which are scheduled in 2022, will help to further accelerate commitments.

Ian Osborne
Ian Osborne
Editor-in-Chief at ElectricDrives

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