'Major milestone' achieved by Thurso-based battery firm
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A THURSO-based battery manufacturer has achieved "a major milestone" in its plans to access global markets.
AMTE Power is believed to be the first European business to receive certification for the safe transportation of its Ultra Safe sodium-ion cell, which could help it scale-up its production.
The company has also made "significant progress" with its UltraSafe cells being incorporated into battery packs developed by AceOn for mobile energy storage – believed to be among the first of its kind.
The accreditation of the UN38.3 transportation certificate has been described as a key part in AMTE Power's plans to expand its commercial operations.
UN38.3 certification has been adopted by regulators and authorities around the world as an essential standard for the safe transportation of cells. The protocol includes identifying/classifying cells; testing/qualification requirements; design guidance/conditions and packaging/shipping obligations.
Alan Hollis, chief executive at AMTE Power, said: "Battery energy storage for homes and industry will play a fundamental role in helping the UK to deliver its decarbonisation goals and maximise the potential of renewables. Sodium-ion batteries are fast becoming an alternative to lithium counterparts, particularly for energy storage applications. Our sodium-ion cell has been specifically developed with these applications in mind, providing a safe, stable solution that doesn’t add to pressure on lithium stocks. We are seeing growing demand for our market leading technology used in the Ultra Safe product, and achieving UN38.3 certification marks a major milestone in our plans to scale up production to meet our customers’ needs."
He added: "Furthermore, I am delighted our Ultra Safe cells have now been incorporated into 12 and 43-volt battery packs developed by AceOn for mobile energy storage. These are believed to be the first UK-developed battery packs based on sodium-ion."
Mark Thompson, managing director at AceOn, said: "Sodium-ion batteries are the next big development in battery technology. As far as I am aware, we are the first company to have UK-developed sodium-ion battery packs in our hands. The fact that we are collaborating with a UK manufacturer in AMTE Power, and developing and building the packs in the UK ourselves, is vitally important for the country. It represents a real step-change in battery chemistry and offers huge opportunities across a range of industries and applications."
AMTE Power was founded in 2013 and is a leading UK developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells for specialist markets. In March 2021, the company was admitted to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. The company is focused on launching a series of next generation battery cells based on new chemistries and cell structures that are designed to solve key problems in power delivery, energy performance, and safety. These new products are targeted at a range of specialist markets including the electric vehicle industry and energy storage sector.
AMTE's purpose-built cell manufacturing facility in Thurso has the second largest cell manufacturing capacity in the UK and the company also has a product development team based in Oxford. AMTE's proposed gigafactory in Dundee, Scotland is expected to be capable of producing over eight million battery cells a year.
