On the day that Jaguar Landrover owners, TATA Sons, announce a £4m investment into a UK Gigafactory, expert Professor David Greenwood explains what gigafactories are, and why they're important to the UK automotive industry.

David Greenwood is a Professor of Advanced Propulsion systems, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), The University of Warwick

WMG, at the University of Warwick, has been awarded a share of £29 million funding, from the Faraday Institution, to develop new insights into electrochemical energy storage.

An initiative which is designed to support and foster the creation of a new hydrogen economy in the Midlands was formally launched this week at the House of Lords, to an audience of MPs, peers, businesses, academics and senior civil servants. (Issued by ERA).

· The Rolls-Royce ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft is officially the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft, clocking up speeds of 387.4mph. In order to power the aircraft, the most power dense propulsion battery pack ever assembled in aerospace had to be developed directly supported by researchers from WMG, University of Warwick using their state-of-the-art battery characterisation and testing facilities

Two leading universities in the field of electrification – WMG at the University of Warwick and Newcastle University – are coming together to ensure the UK workforce has the skills necessary to meet the challenges of the transition to fully electric production.

A new partnership between Eatron Technologies and WMG, University of Warwick has been formed for the COBRA ('Cloud/Onboard Battery Remaining useful life Algorithm) project, thanks to the funding from the Faraday Battery Challenge.

A consortium of seven UK-based organisations including WMG, University of Warwick has signed a memorandum of understanding to combine ambitions to develop world-leading prototype solid-state battery technology, targeting automotive applications.

Margot James, Executive Chair and Dave Greenwood, Professor of Advanced Propulsion Systems from WMG, at the University of Warwick, were delighted today (15 July 2021), to be invited to the official opening of the UK Battery industrialisation Centre by The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, Prime Minister - bringing to reality a vision first set out by WMG in 2016.

The Norton Motorcycle Co Ltd is proud to support students at the University of Warwick who are researching the future of electric racing motorcycles. The group of students undertaking the project are aided by the donation of a sports bike frame by Norton Motorcycles, which has been adapted by the student team to be fitted with an electric powertrain, with batteries and control systems designed in-house.

Energy storage systems (ESS) are used in decentralised and complex electricity networks; lead-acid batteries could be a clean and green option for ESS. Researchers from WMG University of Warwick and Loughborough University will investigate how to optimise the management of lead-acid batteries in ESS use.

The University of Warwick is not just backing today’s CBI report ‘Greener Miles: Delivering on a net-zero vision for commuting’ – which calls on businesses to shoulder greater responsibility for ensuring their workers adopting greener travel habits – it has already taken action with a two year extensive programme to cut personal car use on campus and therefore reduce emissions.

Densifying ceramics using flash sintering reduces energy use and may be used to improve the viability of manufacturing complex ceramic structures such as those required for solid state batteries by lowering the temperatures and shortening the duration of the heat treatment.

High energy storage batteries for EVs need high capacity battery cathodes. New lithium-excess magnesium-rich cathodes are expected to replace existing nickel-rich cathodes but understanding how the magnesium and oxygen accommodate charge storage at high voltages is critical for their successful adaption. Research led by WMG, University of Warwick in collaboration with U.S. researchers employed a range of X-ray studies to determine that the oxygen ions are facilitating the charge storage rather than the magnesium ions.

Researchers in WMG at the University of Warwick, in collaboration with Imperial College London, have found a way to enhance hybrid flow batteries and their commercial use. The new approach can store electricity in these batteries for very long durations for about a fifth the price of current technologies, with minimal location restraints and zero emissions.

Until now, smaller manufacturing companies have missed out on the productivity benefits of digital technologies and data-driven solutions. Too many manufacturers don’t know where to start, and lack the skills required to deploy and use digital solutions. The costs are perceived to be high and the return on investment is unclear. A consortium, including WMG at the University of Warwick, has been awarded funding through the Government’s Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge to tackle this problem by developing a Smart InforMation PLatform and Ecosystem for Manufacturing (SIMPLE).

As the inevitable growth of transport electrification continues, the types of batteries that will be used in such vehicles, their charging parameters, infrastructure and timeframes are key considerations that will speed up the transition to electrification. In the paper, ‘Determining the Limits and Effects of High-Rate Cycling on Lithium Iron Phosphate Cylindrical Cells’ published in and on the cover of the Journal Batteries, researchers from WMG, University of Warwick investigated the impacts on battery cell ageing from high current operation using commercial cells.

Extensive research, carried out by researchers from WMG, University of Warwick included characterisation, performance, safety and degradation testing of an EV battery, with degradation being the key focus to understand the impact on battery pack warranty.

WMG, University of Warwick is part of a new project to create a new circular end-of-life supply chain for the electric vehicle industry. The project, led by EMR has won grant support from the UK Government’s Advanced Propulsion Centre.

It is common knowledge in battery manufacturing that many cathode materials are moisture sensitive. However, as the popularity of high nickel-based battery components increases, researchers from WMG, University of Warwick have found that the drier the conditions that these cathodes are stored and processed in, then significant improvement in performance of the battery is gained.