UK-based battery cell manufacturer Volklec has secured government support to accelerate its transition from early-stage production to large-scale domestic manufacturing, as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s battery supply chain.
The funding, delivered through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK in partnership with Innovate UK and the UK Department for Business and Trade, comes under the £4 billion DRIVE35 programme. The initiative is designed to support innovation and industrial scale-up across the UK automotive sector.
Volklec said the combined public and private investment will enable it to expand from an initial 1GWh production capacity to a planned 10GWh gigafactory. The company is pursuing a two-stage approach, focused first on near-term domestic power cell production before scaling to mass manufacturing.
Volklec accelerating development of 1GWh manufacturing capabilities
Working with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and AIH Group, Volklec will accelerate development of its 1GWh manufacturing capabilities, with the aim of bringing British-made cells to market sooner. At the same time, it is advancing plans for what it describes as the UK’s first independent 10GWh lithium-ion battery gigafactory, supported by engineering consultancy Arcadis and the High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute.
The programmes are intended to scale domestic battery production to industrial levels while reducing reliance on overseas supply chains. Volklec said this would help meet demand from sectors including automotive, defence and aerospace.
Imran Khatri, founder of Volklec, commented: “The UK’s limited domestic battery manufacturing capacity has resulted in a severe bottleneck for UK PLC, leaving high-value sectors exposed to global supply chain volatility and restricted access to critical technologies.
“Volklec’s mission is to close this critical gap in the supply chain. By combining proven, production-ready cell technology with the UK’s existing industrial infrastructure, we’re able to take a staged, de-risked approach to scale-up. This gives us a faster, more pragmatic route to domestic battery production, enabling us to deliver capability today while building towards the essential giga-scale manufacturing of tomorrow.”
The company said programmes such as DRIVE35 are intended to provide long-term confidence for investors by supporting industrialisation and helping unlock private capital, as the UK seeks to establish a competitive domestic battery manufacturing base.
Photo credit: Volklek
