Road to Net Zero Podcast

What happens to end-of-life EV batteries: Project RECOVAS

This collaborative R&D project was set up to build a new circular supply chain for electric vehicle (EV) batteries in the UK, by developing the infrastructure to collect and recycle EVs and their batteries.
One of the repeated myths around EVs is that the batteries cannot be recycled, repaired or reused, and therefore end up in landfill.
It’s not true. Batteries are far too valuable to consider being discarded. Not only can almost all the materials be recycled to make new batteries, they can also often be repaired to go back into a vehicle or given a second life as stationary storage.
As more vehicles become electrified, greater volumes of batteries and battery materials are required, which will eventually reach end of life and be repurposed or recycled. Currently, end-of-life battery packs are shipped outside of the UK for treatment, at significant cost. Not only is this unsustainable, but it exports valuable metals which can be recovered for future use in the UK.
RECOVAS, an £8.75 million project, established pilot-scale EV depollution and battery shredding at EMR (lead project partner) sites, diagnostic and repair infrastructure at Autocraft, second life applications at Connected Energy, LCA at UKBIC, and research at WMG. Automotive OEMs such as JLR are involved to support research work and establish guidelines for repair, reuse, and recycling.
Visit our funding pages to see how Collaborate or other funding opportunities through DIRVE35 could support your next project.
 

Demand forecasting feat. SMMT and Altilium

What are the APC's Quarterly Industry Demand Forecast Reports?
How are they used in industry? Why do the numbers matter?
This episode takes you through the process behind demand reporting, how the data is collected, and the challenges of forecasting.
Featuring SMMT's Chief Economist, Matthew Croucher and Christian Marston, COO of battery material recyclers Altilium, to explain why this research is important to industry. Including the APC's Head of Technology Trends Hadi Moztarzadeh.
To read the reports click here: https://www.apcuk.co.uk/knowledge-base/media-type/quarterly-demand-reports/ 
To take our survey on how to improve our demand reports, click here: https://forms.office.com/e/0ukVYwq1rj 

Introducing DRIVE35: £2.5 bn programme

🎙️ The Road to Net Zero is back!
Get ready for a brand-new series from the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) as we dive into the future of clean, green automotive innovation.
We’re starting with DRIVE35 — the bold new initiative from the Department for Business and Trade that’s set to supercharge the UK’s journey to zero-emission vehicles.
With over £2.5 billion in funding to 2035, DRIVE35 is more than just funding. From cutting-edge R&D to scaling up game-changing technologies, this is your guide to the transformation of the UK’s automotive sector.
🚗 Discover how APC is powering this revolution with targeted government grants, tailored to three key priorities.📅 Stay ahead of the curve with regular funding competitions and insider tips on how to apply.💡 Hear from the experts shaping the future of mobility.
Whether you're an innovator, investor, or just passionate about sustainable transport, this podcast series is your roadmap to the future.
https://www.apcuk.co.uk/funding/

Ford eShadow: lighter vans, more payload

eShadow is an £8.5 million project - including £4.1 million in Government grant funding - aiming to develop a lightweight chassis design for electric commercial that significantly improves payload capacity without compromising durability or cost-effectiveness. 
Listen to this in-depth interview with late Professor Alan Banks, to whom we dedicate this episode. As UK Lightweight Innovations Manager at Ford, he had a central role in this project, and he is sorely missed. 
More information, and a video about the project, is available to watch here: https://www.apcuk.co.uk/impact/case-studies/ford-lighter-chassis-stronger-performance/ 

Why are roadmaps important for the automotive industry?

The APC, on behalf of the Automotive Council UK, has updated its roadmaps for 2024.
 
The highly-anticipated documents chart a path to a net-zero future, and give clarity to help you navigate through where the innovations will be in the next decade and beyond.
 
Reporting from Cenex Expo, the UK auto industry's showcase of zero-emission and connected automated mobility, Clem Silverman asked people why it's important to look ahead and how useful roadmapping exercises are to the industry.
 
Including:
Jon Caine, Technical Director for AVL in the UK
Claire Spooner, Director of Mobility at Innovate UK
Will Grocott, Head of Delivery at the National Composites Centre
Mili Naik, Technical Delivery Lead at Zenzic
 
Dr Hadi Moztarzadeh, Head of Technology Trends at the APC explains that for 2024, collectively we identified the need to introduce two system-level roadmaps, the Mobility of People (MoP) and the Mobility of Goods (MoG), to provide a holistic view of the role of automotive products in the broader transport ecosystem.
 
Listen to this episode to discover what the roadmaps cover, and who they are for. Discover the roadmaps now by visiting https://www.apcuk.co.uk/knowledge-base/roadmaps/ 
 

Converting black mass to battery gold with Altilium

What happens to an EV battery when it reaches the end of its life? It's re-born!
The destiny of batteries is not landfill, but to be recycled to extract the critical minerals and go into new products.
Although in its infancy, this is an industry with an exciting future ahead of it. On reaching end-of-life, batteries can be discharged, dismantled and shredded to produce black mass, a rich source of critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese. If profitably extracted and processed, we can de-risk the UK’s battery supply chain and support the creation of a self-sustaining, globally competitive industry.
In 2022, Altilium Clean Technology, a leading company operating in this space, secured funding, delivered through our own Automotive Transformation Fund, to advance it’s game-changing, proprietary recycling technology.
Listen to this interview with Dr Christian Marston, President and COO of Altilium, about how the company is pushing ahead with its hydrometallurgical extraction technique to recover over 95% of the critical metals found in black mass.

BMW pioneers next-generation electronics for BEVs

Why did BMW choose a team of British small businesses and academics to design the next-generation of inverters for its battery electric vehicles? Energy and transport journalist David James interviews David Bock, BMW Technical Lead on the £26 million @FutureBEV project, who explains it's down to the UK's expertise in power electronics.
“If you can make the parts simpler, you reduce the cost, you improve the reliability and you make it more accessible. And that was very important in the project", he said. It marked BMW’s transition to SiC-based power electronics in its future generations of battery electric vehicle (BEV) and laid the foundation for 100kW/l inverters, significantly exceeding industry targets.
The collaborative project not only delivered from an R&D perspective, but helped strengthen the UK supply chain in this emergent technology. As part of the consortium, academic and SME partners were able to demonstrate UK R&D capabilities, which impressed the BMW team in Munich.
As a result of the project, the University of Warwick has built a world-leading testing facility for power electronics and attracted interest from other OEMs, such as JLR. Custom Interconnect, which manufactures the inverter and power module, was also able to attract new customers thanks to its involvement on the project.
The design for the inverter was created by Lyra and Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, strengthening the supply chain for power electronics in the UK.
The project has also been a platform for graduates and interns to develop their knowledge of power electronics, helping to build up their expertise for future roles and grow the industry. @FutureBEV was a £26 million project which received £13 million in government grant funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK.

Cummins: Spinning up E-Turbo innovation

What is an e-turbo? What's a turbo doing in a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain? 
Transport and energy journalist David James visits Laith Al-kazaz, Advanced Engineering Director at Cummins to learn about this technology, developed by a £20 million project to capture wasted energy and put it back into use.
Known as 'Trident', this project aimed to increase efficiency in hydrogen fuel cells through the development of an e-turbo, a vital component to help decarbonise heavy-duty vehicles.
The project has had wider impacts on Cummins’ conventional turbos, with projected savings of approximately 200 million tonnes of CO2  over the next 10 years.
Trident received £10 million in government grant funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK. 

Electric motors: is the UK focusing on the right tech?

Is the UK focusing its efforts in the right areas when it comes to e-motors technology and the UK supply chain?
Strategic Trends Manager at the APC, Chris Jones, speaks to our Stakeholder Engagement Lead, Clem Silverman, to give his thoughts and to discuss some of the key trends raised in our latest value chain report on e-motors. You can read the full report here:
Electric motors: Is the UK placing its bets wisely? (apcuk.co.uk)

Lithium in the UK

It’s well known that lithium is a hugely important resource for battery technology. But what is it used for? Where does it come from?
Dr. Chris Jones from the APC’s Technology Trends team is back in the booth for this episode of the Road to Net Zero to answer some of these questions.
Nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) based chemistries are expected to be the two most popular cathode chemistries for the coming decade.
NMC comprises lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt. Aluminium can be added to improve cycle life.
LFP comprises lithium and iron phosphate, while manganese can be added to improve energy density.
Both are lithium-ion chemistries and require a source of lithium.
Lithium salts can be obtained through two primary methods: mining hard rock, such as spodumene, and extracting from subterranean brine sources.
There are opportunities to find lithium in the UK as mapped by the British Geological Survey and Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. The government has laid out its Critical Minerals Strategy to power the green industrial revolution, but with a lack of skills and need for more investment, does the country need to make
Once extracted, lithium requires refining. China currently dominates global lithium refining capacity, but again there is potential to expand facilities in the UK and Europe.
More information and data can be found in our Q3 Demand Report Q3-2023-Quarterly-Automotive-Demand-Forecast-Report.pdf (apcuk.co.uk) and subsequent quarterly demand reports.