Dr Martin Owen Jones, Energy Materials Coordinator at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, discusses powering Britain’s future by balancing gigafactories and battery innovation for the UK’s EV revolution
Electric vehicles are a crucial component of the UK’s ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions in the transport sector by 2050. Developments in the southwest of England, including the revival of lithium mining and the announcement of Tata’s £4 billion gigafactory to be built in Somerset, underscore the growing significance of the UK’s role in the global electric vehicle revolution.
The UK government’s commitment to decarbonising its transportation sector is evident – a substantial investment of nearly £400 million has been allocated to accelerate the rollout of EV charging infrastructure, ensuring the growth of EV adoption. By 2024, the implementation of a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate will further drive the transition to clean transportation, sending a clear message to industry and consumers.
Realistically achieving this will require a multi-faceted approach that demands a careful balance in investment between large-scale gigafactories and cutting-edge innovation in energy storage technology.
Cost and production capacity limit EV adoption
Batteries are the most expensive component of an EV, accounting for the largest portion of the overall cost. While the cost of EV batteries has been steadily decreasing over the years, several factors influence their prices.
Different battery chemistries have different costs, depending on the raw materials required and the efficiency of their systems. Lithium-ion batteries are currently the most common type of battery used in EVs, but research is being carried out on other types of batteries, such as solid-state lithium ion and sodium ion batteries, which could be significantly cheaper in the future.
Lowering the cost of EV batteries is crucial to making EVs more affordable for consumers and supporting the growth of the EV industry. To achieve this, there needs to be both research into battery materials and improvements in manufacturing processes.
Battery innovation: Powering the future through gigafactories
When it comes to battery production, economies of scale are important – the more batteries produced, the lower the cost per battery. Gigafactories represent a crucial piece of the puzzle. These large-scale manufacturing facilities will play a pivotal role in reducing battery system costs, making EVs more accessible to the masses, and reaching the volumes necessary to meet the government’s commitment to cease the sales of combustion-engine vehicles in 2030. UK gigafactories would also reduce the country’s reliance on battery imports and stimulate economic growth.
Beyond cost efficiency and local sourcing, gigafactories also offer the potential for EVs to serve as their own energy storage facilities, to create a more stable and balanced energy grid. The prospect of implementing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems would allow idle vehicles to return excess energy to the grid during peak periods. While this concept requires significant infrastructure development, it offers a promising vision of a dynamic and sustainable energy ecosystem.
Innovating for the battery materials of the future
On the other side of the spectrum, small-scale innovation operates on the principle of pushing boundaries and embracing unconventional approaches – a stark contrast to the mass implementation and fixed processes of gigafactories. It explores radical reinventions of battery electrical engineering, charging strategies, or entire battery chemistries, providing the intellectual foundation for new designs and construction methods. It also provides the proof of concept that persuades major industry players to adopt cutting-edge technologies.
The significance of research into battery materials becomes evident at the atomic level, where properties such as how much energy a battery can store are determined by the nature of the atom, the physical arrangement of those atoms, and the movement of ions within materials. Innovation in battery materials could help to solve key challenges like the high cost of batteries, range anxiety, and the limited supply of critical resources such as lithium and copper.
Advanced research facilities like the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source harness the unique capabilities of subatomic particles to study electrodes and electrolytes. These insights pave the way for the creation of advanced, high-performance batteries that are smaller, higher energy density, cheaper to produce, and safer to use, boosting the overall competitiveness of the UK’s EV sector.
Collaborative projects between academia, large-scale research facilities, and industry stakeholders further amplify the impact of battery innovation by fostering an environment where scientific advancements are translated into practical applications.
Bridging the gap between research and industry
To lead in energy storage, the UK must unite both sides of the energy storage landscape – academic initiative and industrial power. These two approaches need to be implemented simultaneously to harness the respective strengths of each.
Initiatives like the Faraday Institution have made good progress by securing over £200 million to establish research partnerships and cultivate a new generation of battery scientists, seamlessly integrating these activities with industry. The upcoming ISIS Faraday Battery Fellowship is a prime example of this. Meanwhile, programmes like the UKRI Industry Impact Fund offer financial incentives for companies engaged in research.
However, with only one gigafactory currently operational in the UK, it is evident that this sector requires substantial governmental support, given the immense costs involved.
As batteries take centre stage in decarbonising the global economy, embracing their complexity and understanding them from atomic processes to global roles is crucial. As we continue to see encouraging additions to battery innovation and it’s production chain within the UK, it is an opportunity to look forward to furthering developments in both innovation and industry that will accelerate the transition to a sustainable future.
