Electric vehicle battery maker Volklec launches in UK
Volklec, a new UK manufacturing business making batteries for electric vehicles, has launched in the UK.
Backed by UK-based investment company Frontive Group, it’s based in Coventry in the West Midlands, with the vision of Powering Electrified Mobility and targeted at on-road, off-highway and track vehicles.
Batteries will be made in collaboration with UKBIC, the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and national manufacturing development scale-up facility, which also provides skills for the growing EV battery sector.
Volklec, working with UKBIC, will develop batteries to meet the bespoke requirements of the UK automotive market, in particular the diverse array of small volume and niche vehicle manufacturers.
Volklec’s product development and rapid route to scale-up provides a critical component in the roadmap to giga-scale production. The collaboration will directly create jobs in the West Midlands and contribute directly to building world-class battery R&D, process and manufacturing capability in the UK.
Imran Khatri, Volklec founder, said: “Volklec has been many months and significant investment in the making, established to help the UK’s decarbonisation drive. As a proud investment in the UK, our initial focus is on the automotive industry, providing security of supply to the sector, then we intend to look at the broader electrification markets as well.”
Sean Gilgunn, UKBIC managing director, commented: “This agreement marks the start of Volklec’s journey to create a battery with the potential to scale up to significant volumes in the coming years, and we are proud to support the business in the initial phase of their development. Manufacturing cells at volume is vital to ensuring the UK prospers from the energy transition towards Net Zero, and this agreement further demonstrates the unique value of UKBIC to the battery ecosystem.”