Caithness battery maker AMTE POWER PLC to partner Sprint, BMW and BP in government-funded project to reduce electric vehicle charge times to 12 minutes

Thurso specialist battery manufacturer AMTE Power plc has been confirmed as a partner in a new UK Government funded project to develop ultra-fast charging systems for electric vehicles.

Currently the best-in-class charging systems take approximately 22 minutes for a 10-80 per cent charge for a 280-mile range. The UK Government Celeritas project is aiming to deliver an 80 per cent charge in just 12 minutes. Reducing charge times has been identified as key to accelerating the widespread switch by consumers to electric vehicles.

The project will be part funded by the UK Government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre. (APCUK).

Developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, AMTE Power will develop its high power pouch cells as the rapid charging cell technology that sits at the heart of the system.

The five other partners involved in project Celeritas are expected to be the BMW Group, BP, Sprint Power, a British technology company specialising in low carbon technology, Clas-Sic, the dedicated silicon carbide wafer foundry and Eltrium, a designer and manufacturer of electrical harnesses and energy storage systems.

This is the second APCUK funded project AMTE has been selected to be a key partner in. The first, announced in June 2021, is Project Ultra for which AMTE is the lead supplier.

Kevin Brundish, AMTE Power's chief executive, said: “A key focus of this project is to target BMW’s future battery specifications and requirements with each partner bringing innovations to the battery platform. It is therefore an excellent opportunity to contribute as well as demonstrate the capabilities of our cell technology to the other partners not just for fast charging but also for fast discharge (acceleration) and ultimately vehicle range.”

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