Thurso firm ATME Power to play leading role in UK transition to electric powered cars
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Caithness battery producer AMTE Power is to take the lead on a UK Government funded project to develop more efficient batteries for electric vehicles (EV).
The project will lead to large-scale manufacture and testing of ATME's lithium-ion batteries with leading car makers.
The three year project, which has been named Ultra, will be part funded with a £5 million grant from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the government funded body focused on supporting the UK automotive industry in the lead up to the electrification of the market in 2030.
AMTE Power will receive £2.3 million over the next three years with the remainder of the money divided between three other automotive supply chain companies.
AMTE will work closely with leading global car makers to ensure they are ready for volume manufacture of electric vehicles (EV) as the market moves away from fossil fuels.
This will see AMTE's Thurso-produced Ultra High Power cell sent to manufacturers for external validation and adoption in their vehicle prototypes while its Ultra Energy cell will be used in two commercial EV prototypes.
AMTE Power chief executive Kevin Brundish said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to lead this project. The APC selects companies who they believe will be key players in the UK’s electric vehicle supply chain, and funds projects that will take products into this high volume market. Working closely with leading automotive manufacturers and supply chain companies is an ideal position to be in as we work towards volume production of our products.
"Importantly, this project will not affect the existing commercialisation plans for these cells, as set out at the time of our IPO, it will instead be complementary and focus on readiness to mass produce for our targeted automotive client base.”
