Road to Net Zero Podcast

Talking chemistry: the battery value chain

🔋 This is the latest Battery Value Chain Insight report from our Technology Trends team. Explained by Strategic Trends Manager Dr Chris Jones, it highlights the challenges for manufacturers and aims to help them to make smarter, more informed plans, for the future of automotive battery manufacturing in the UK. 
UK Automotive manufacturers have tough decisions to make about what type of battery chemistry they plan to use in their Electric Vehicles (EVs) in the future, impacted by changing regulations, supply chain risks, and rapidly developing adaptations in battery technology.  
In 2019 the APC launched a first of its kind battery value chain describing the process of making a lithium-ion battery. The 2019 value chain represented a single chemistry. Now, in 2023, we wanted to reflect upon the innovation in different battery technologies by providing value chains for two lithium-ion and sodium-ion chemistries
Download the report now

Ionic Technologies: How the APC’s funding ecosystem grows businesses

The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) is well known for its role in deploying UK government grant funding for research and development and scale-up, to support the automotive industry’s transition to zero tailpipe emissions and net-zero vehicles.
But we at the APC are not just about funding, we’re as much about the connections and collaborations we foster to really add value.
One such example is the success story of an SME from Belfast.
Ionic Technologies, a 2014 spinout company from Queens University Belfast (formally known as Seren), has developed new techniques to recycle permanent magnets using a ‘revolutionary’ process
It has received support through our Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP) and Scale-up Readiness Validation (SuRV) competition.
Energy and transport journalist David James visited Belfast and met with Managing Director Thomas Kelly to explain where this company sits in the automotive supply chain, and what the potential benefits from recycling magnets could be.
Visit our website to read the full story on Ionic Technologies, including its latest project with Ford, Less Common Metals, and British Geological Survey to supply recycled material for new electric vehicles.

A decade of innovation: what do the next 10 years hold?

Did you know November 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Advanced Propulsion Centre? We’re planning a series of events and content leading up to our 10th birthday in November.
In early September, we hosted a session at Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle – Cenex Connected Automated Mobility Show to celebrate the achievements and milestones of the past decade, alongside our business partners and colleagues.
We invited some key stakeholders to join us in a panel discussion focused on the decade ahead and moderated by transport and energy journalist David James.
Even with the change from 2030 to 2035, the deadline is fast approaching nevertheless, how well positioned is the UK automotive sector to deal with the challenges and opportunities ahead?
Joining the discussion are:
Dr Jo Bray, Deputy Director, Automotive Unit, Department for Business and Trade
Richard Kenworthy, Managing Director, Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK)
Andy Eastlake, CEO, Zemo Partnership
Prof. Colin Garner FREng Emeritus Professor of Applied Thermodynamics, Loughborough University
Rik Adams, Innovation Delivery Director, Advanced Propulsion Centre UK

Hydrogen fuel cell Ford E-Transit van

A new collaborative research and development project, led by Ford, has recently been announced as part of the APC's latest round of funding: the £16 million Fuel cell Commercial Vehicle Generation 2.0 (FCVGen2.0) project.
It aims to design, develop, and build a fleet of 8 hydrogen fuel cell powered E-Transit vans. 
Other members of the consortium include several SMEs and two other multinationals. They are Cygnet Texkimp, Cammotive and Viritech, as well as grocers Ocado and a subsidiary of energy giant BP.
Join us down in Dagenham where we're being shown round Ford’s facility there. At the moment its activity is centred around assembling engines, but with electrification that’s changing. Listen to this podcast to hear from the people involved in this exciting initiative, and what their roles are in developing this technology.
Find out more about our collaborative R&D competition by visiting our website or getting in touch with us.

Autocraft Revive: repairing, recycling and reusing EV batteries

Can electric vehicle batteries be repaired, recycled and reused? What solutions are available to industry?
 
An important collaborative research and development project aims to create a circular supply chain for electric vehicle batteries in the UK. Currently, most 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. 
 
The RECOVAS project, led by EMR (European Metal Recycling), will introduce a new circular supply chain for electric vehicle batteries in the UK, by developing the infrastructure to collect and recycle electric vehicles and their batteries.
 
One aspect of this is being developed by Autocraft Solutions Group, which has created a novel way of repairing battery packs in-situ: a modular, off-grid 'pod' system that can be taken to any location on the back of a lorry! This will help to meet consumer demands and be invaluable support to commercial EV dealers, fleets and suppliers in keeping their customers on the road.
 
Dr Sara Ridley, Engineering and Quality Director, speaking at last year's LCV show explains more behind the concept and how the funding from the APC has beneficial.
 
More information about this collaborative R&D project can be found here https://www.apcuk.co.uk/funded-projects/emr-recovas/
 
Keep an eye out for the opening of the next competition round for more APC funding opportunities.
 
The REVIVE™ MOBILE EV Battery Service centre can be deployed directly to OEM manufacturing sites or wherever there is most demand, repairing up to 2,000 battery packs a year. More info can be found here: https://autocraftsg.com/solutions/ev-solutions/revive-electric-vehicle-solutions/revive-mobile/ 

Automotive industry demand forecast Q4 22/23 explained

Did you get chance to read our last quarterly demand report for 2022/23, published at the end of March? If not, make sure to listen to our Technology Trends team take you through the key talking points and highlights.
Read the Q4 2022 Automotive Industry Quarterly Demand Report: https://www.apcuk.co.uk/q4-2022-automotive-industry-demand-forecast/
With so much happening right now in the industry, our demand reports are a comprehensive and informative overview of forecasting based on current market situation and external drivers. Read all of our quarterly demand reports: https://www.apcuk.co.uk/media-type/quarterly-demand-reports/In the fourth report of 2022/23, for the first time, we’ve included a focus on expected activity in the supply chain in 2027, as well as our standard benchmark of 2030, as this is when the Rules of Origin and the trade agreement between the UK and Europe change.In this video the team also provide an overview of:📈 Battery chemistry forecast📗 Introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act📊 Lithium supply and demand pulls🔋 Alternative battery chemistriesLook out for our first demand report of 2023/24, coming soon, where we take a closer look at the impact the US’ Inflation Reduction Act will have on automotive manufacturing and technology investment, both in the UK and Europe.

The low-carbon manure-powered tractor from CNH Industrial

This tractor is running on methane captured from cow slurry.
The world’s first 100% methane-powered tractor has been developed through a project that received £9.1 million in government funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
Running on biomethane fuel made from recovered cow dung, the tractor could help save farmers money, reduce GHG emissions and support sustainable farming of local produce. It can also advance development of a more sustainable circular economy in agriculture.
The system of capturing methane from slurry lagoons, that would otherwise enter the atmosphere as a powerful greenhouse gas, not only represents a huge saving of emissions on the farm, but also can help farmers become energy self-sufficient.
Journalist David James went to Cornwall to find out how it all works in this conversation with Andrew Dunne from CNH Industrial, the lead partner on the collaborative research and development project.
Manure-powered tractor is helping bring food from farm to fork
Read more about our collaborative research and development programmes here: Collaborative R&D (CR&D) Competitions - Advanced Propulsion Centre 

Power electronics value chain explained

This is a very special episode that takes a deep-dive into the complex subject of power electronics.
The Advanced Propulsion Centre recently released a new 'value chain map' to breakdown the mystery of semiconductor manufacturing, which is available now to download.
https://www.apcuk.co.uk/power-electronics-value-chain-launched-to-kick-start-robust-uk-supply-chain/ 
Availability of semiconductors already posing a problem for UK automotive OEMs 
No UK end-to-end supply chain to meet needs of automotive manufacturing sector 
The UK can achieve manufacturing demands if industry, finance, and government work together. 
In this podcast, technology trends consultant Bhavik Shah provides a short explainer of the report and value chain.
Then hear a live panel discussion, hosted by journalist David James in front of a small studio audience, featuring McLaren Applied, Clas-SiC Wafer Fab and Exawatt, to explain the finer details. 
Plus APC CEO Ian Constance summarises what power electronics are, and why they are important for the UK’s automotive sector.

SME sensing opportunity: Oxford RF sensors for autonomous vehicles

Oxford RF has developed the world’s first 360-degree solid-state radar system. The sensors aim to reduce costs and increase reliability for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and driverless vehicles, ultimately leading to more of these on the road.
As CEO Dr Kashif Siddiq explains, there are currently too many sensors on vehicles – including cameras, radars and LiDARs. More sensors mean more cost, power consumption and more data to process which increases the latency in decision-making. For safer autonomous cars, every split-second counts, and to enable faster take-up of the technology every penny counts too.
Oxford RF’s solution will remove the need for the plethora of devices, and with no moving parts it’s said to be much more reliable as well.
In October 2022 the company joined six other SMEs as the successful innovators of Zenzic’s CAM Scale-Up programme, to verify their innovative connected autonomous mobility (CAM) solutions at pace.
In January 2023, the company completed its journey through the APC’s Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP), which provided grant funding and business mentoring to support this kind of innovation.
As a result of this and collaboration with WMG (the Warwick Manufacturing Group), Oxford RF is now exploring commercial opportunities and bringing its applications to the market.
Learn more about TDAP, or to make an application for the next wave of accelerator funding, visit https://www.apcuk.co.uk/technology-developer-accelerator-programme/

Ian Constance: Down but not out, still a lot to play for in 2023

Despite the disappointing news for the automotive sector early this year, there are plenty of opportunities and things to look forward to in 2023.
Listen to the latest Road to Net Zero episode with the views of APC CEO, Ian Constance.