Institution news
2017 has already seen significant leaps forward from both government and industry in this area. The summer announcement of the £246 million Faraday Challenge demonstrates the level of Government support towards the growth of UK expertise in battery technology, providing vital funding for major industry projects. Volvo has announced that all new cars will be hybrid or electric by 2019, and Jaguar Land Rover have declared similar intentions for all their vehicle ranges by 2020.
The Government has stated that they are planning to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel powered cars by 2040, meaning the pressure on industry to keep up with changing national and international regulation is steadily increasing. In this rapidly changing market, engineers are finding themselves faced with a torrent of technical challenges to overcome.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers spoke with Jonathan Hunt, Technical Specialist of Energy Storage Systems at Williams Advanced Engineering and speaker at our upcoming International EV Batteries 2017 Conference.
Jonathan told the Institution that in his opinion ‘the number one challenge is the cost of the batteries. To date, this still does not compete with conventional internal combustion engine vehicles unless sponsored by government initiatives or tax incentives.’
This is certainly a view that many in the engineering community agree with, particularly taking into account the vehicle range and durability currently offered for electric vehicles. ‘The cost is falling both at the cell level and at module and pack level,’ Jonathan specified, ’but we still need a step change to be truly competitive and to break into mass volume markets.’
Taking this into account, it comes as no surprise that industry leaders such as Nissan are making dramatic changes in order to keep up with UK demand, particularly in light of Brexit. The Nissan Sunderland battery plant intends to increase production by a fifth, and double the amount of parts it sources from within the UK to offset costs associated with the UK’s break from the European Union.
The investment from the UK Government into the EV battery industry is certainly a step in the right direction to support innovation and growth in the sector. However there is still a long way to go in terms of making a fully electric future a reality, and it is engineers at the coalface of progress who will set the pace.
Want to hear more?
Jonathan Hunt will be presenting alongside Nissan Motors, government and other industry experts at International EV Batteries 2017.
Hear the latest updates on this growing market from:
- Bob Moran, Deputy Head, Office for Low Emission Vehicles
- Vanesa Ruiz, Programme Officer - Scientific Research, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) – Directorate for Energy, Transport & Climate
- Nigel Taylor, Senior Manager Electric Propulsion System Research, Jaguar Land Rover
- Uwe Likar, Senior Manager, Advanced Engineering Planning, Mitsubishi Motor R&D Europe
- Daniel Gribben, Senior Engineer, Nissan Motors Manufacturing UK
- Marco Thömmes, Head of Development Functions/Electronic Modules HV-Battery Storage Systems, Audi AG
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