The first lithium-ion electric vehicle battery packs began rolling off the production lines of UK battery system maker Hyperdrive Innovation’s expanded facility on 11 July.
Dubbed HYVE, the Sunderland-based facility will make 30,000 packs (the equivalent of 173MWh) a year, incorporating modules from Envision AESC, the firm’s patented battery management system and licenced IP from Taiwan and India manufacturers.
The company will make battery packs for on- and off-highway vehicles, including industrial vehicle OEM JCB, and energy storage systems after investing £7 million ($9m) in the 21,000ft2 facility since 2014.
The company announced plans to double the size of its manufacturing facility last August after producing its 5,000th battery pack, built using cells from Nissan.
HYVE’s opening comes just month’s after China’s digital energy company Envision finalised the buy-out of Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (a joint venture between Nissan Motor Company, NEC Corporation, and NEC Tokin Corporation), with a pledge to cut EV battery cell costs to around $50 per kWh by 2025.
Envision bought a reported 80% stake in the firm, with Nissan retaining a 20% share, after Chinese company GSR Capital failed to finalise a deal last October.
