Yesterday, the UK government’s Minister for Industry, Chris McDonald MP, officially opened the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre’s (UKBIC) new Flexible Pilot Line (FPL), which bridges the gap between lab-scale research and full-scale production for battery innovators and developers.
The FPL offers organisations a cost-effective and agile solution for product development. Located at the UK’s national battery manufacturing development facility in Coventry, it supports UK industry by providing rapid process development feasibility trials and early-stage manufacturing.
This line strengthens the centre’s capacity to transition laboratory concepts into proven, industrially scalable products. Its maximum adaptability allows users to experiment and scale a broader range of chemistries formats and processes.
Chris McDonald: UKBIC is an example of government investing in industry
Speaking at the opening, Minister McDonald – who is a graduate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge – said: “The new Flexible Pilot Line shows how government investment through our Industrial Strategy is helping UK innovators bring advanced battery technologies to market faster. By providing access to world-class equipment at lower cost and risk, UKBIC is supporting high potential firms and strengthening the UK’s position in this vital industry.”
Sean Gilgunn, UKBIC’s managing director, said: “The FPL further strengthens our offering to industry, giving start-ups and SMEs a great opportunity to bring their innovative chemistries and materials to us to prove at scale before moving onto our ISL for full commercialisation. It’s really the missing piece in the jigsaw of the UK’s battery ecosystem which can now go from laboratory testing all the way to gigafactories.”
Valentina Gentili, director of the Battery Innovation Programme, said: “The new line embodies the Battery Innovation Programme’s mission to accelerate battery innovation. By offering open access pilot scale manufacturing in a highly configurable environment, we’re enabling UK businesses to test their innovations, refine their technologies and make informed decisions before scaling up. It’s a resource designed to reduce risk, encourage collaboration and accelerate the journey to market.”
The FPL is the latest addition to UKBIC’s suite of battery manufacturing capabilities, which include the Battery Development Laboratory, which offers cell characterisation ability, the Cell Cycling facility, the Clean and Dry Zone and our established large-scale Industrial Scale up line, all of which can be used by companies to run their own projects within UKBIC.
Photo: (L-R) Sean Gilgunn, Valentina Gentili, Chris McDonald MP (© UKBIC)
