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Anwar discusses his role and involvement with regards to the conference, industry challenges, what he is looking forward to at the event and why it is important for engineers to attend.
Q: Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to EV batteries?
Anwar Sattar (AS): I work at the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) where I lead the battery recycling activities. My work focuses mainly on issues related to the end of life batteries such as second life and reuse but my main focus is battery recycling and working alongside industry to improve recycling processes and install the required infrastructure in the UK.
Q: Many OEMs are pledging to be fully electric by 2030/2035, in light of this what would you say we need next to ensure a mainly electric vehicle presence in the market in the UK?
AS: We need to take a holistic approach and not focus on just one or two areas. For electric vehicles to be truly competitive with conventional vehicles, the following things are needed; cheaper vehicles to allow for mass adoption, this means cheaper batteries. Better charging infrastructure so that everyone has access to charging and not just the wealthy. Mass scale production of batteries and other high value components within the UK and state of the art recycling facilities to allow for circularity of material.
Q: When it comes to the part of the battery life cycle you are involved in, what considerations need to be taken when it comes to the sustainability side?
AS: As I am involved at the end of the life cycle, the most important thing is to find the correct balance between legislation and economics. The primary driver for recycling is value but legislation can have a major impact on the profitability and hence the viability of the industry. We need to find an approach which encourages the industry to maximise the recycling rates of materials without placing an undue burden on the recyclers and forcing them to recycle material that may not be suitable for other applications. Once the industry is mature, the legislation can become more stringent as the viability of the industry will then have been established.
Q: What do you think is the main area in the battery lifecycle that needs development to ensure a net-zero carbon lifecycle to match the 2050 target?
AS: Recycling is able to provide locally sourced material and for metals that means more than 80% savings in CO2 emissions. However, emissions associated with metals is just part of the story, a large chunk of the emissions is associated with the material processing – in particular the electrolyte addition which requires a dry room. By moving to aqueous electrolyte solutions, we can reduce a major chunk of the emissions and when combined with recycled material, we can get to near zero emissions.
Q: Regarding new technologies for battery use and operation, what would you say are the ones to watch for the future?
AS: I am looking forward to cheaper chemistries such as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) making inroads into the short to medium range section of the EV market. LFP cells are inherently safer than other chemistries allowing them to make larger cells that reduces the material needs (associated with modules) of a pack by up to 20%. This means more cells can go into the pack of a given volume, allowing LFP packs to be competitive versus other, more energy dense chemistries on a volumetric basis.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join the International EV Batteries 2021 conference?
AS: It is extremely important for them to join as it allows them to make new contacts that they would not have made otherwise. In the day and age of internet meetings, it is hard to network as each and every meeting is so specific and online conferences do not offer anywhere near the freedom that face to face meetings do.
This year’s International EV Batteries conference will be taking place on 9-10 November 2021 at Kia Oval, London.
The International EV Batteries 2021 conference will cover:
- Status updates on UK government investment and projects in battery manufacturing
- Insight into varying battery materials and requirements for the battery supply chain
- State-of-the-art battery cell chemistries and design for a cost-effective, stable and energy-dense battery
- Innovative design for fast charging and charging infrastructure and technology
- Understanding of how specific challenges of integrating EV technology into heavy duty applications are being managed by leaders in the field
- Best practice for thermal management of batteries to ensure optimal temperatures for safe operation
- Cutting-edge battery testing techniques and technologies to ensure an efficient and safe battery
To book your place, please visit the event website.