"Batteries are key to our mobile way of life, they store electrical energy and can deliver at times when it is needed. Most high-performance batteries rely on lithium; a reactive and scarce metal. Barriers to market for alternative metal ion batteries come from their reduced level of energy storage, which reduces the ability of the battery to power devices. This is a one year project which aims to create a novel battery made with sodium-ion, rather than the current state of the art lithium-ion. It will have similar performance to lithium, but with a fraction of the raw material costs of lithium. The project will exploit prior and ongoing battery research between Deregallera's proven track record in development of novel battery technologies, and project partner University of Southampton's experience which spans over several decades."

"Growing adoption of electric vehicles in the automotive industry has led to surge in demand for high output batteries. The power profile of typical EV use is harmful to the electrochemical process of any battery. Hybridisation of high power-density supercapacitors with high energy density batteries has been shown to dramatically prolong battery life, by shielding the battery from the majority of small charge/discharge cycles. In this project, Deregallera will partner with the University of South Wales, and the University of Hertfordshire to develop a feasibility demonstrator system, which will be tested with input from industry stakeholders. The University of Hertfordshire - Automotive Engineering group offers a focus on innovative technologies associated with the alternative propulsion technologies such as fuel cell technology and electric vehicles. They also provide expertise in automotive design, vehicle dynamics and engine testing and mapping. Collectively the group has extensive experience in the automotive and motor-sport sectors. The Centre for Automotive and Power Systems Engineering (CAPSE), based at the University of South Wales, has a wide range of testing/evaluations using their EV Energy Storage and Drive train R&D Facilities, which include battery, ultra-capacitor, fuel cell, fly wheel and other energy storage technologies. This facility has over one mega-watt of testing capacity and houses Wales's only 4 wheel drive direct hub dynamic chassis rolling road system."

Taking Deregallera Pareta integrated motor and drive concept Deregallera under the SuRV project will optimise its product design for best cost, lean manufacturing performance so that progressive upscaling can be confidently undertaken. Attention to efficient cell layout and latest manufacturing techniques will provide for an expandable and proven manufacturing unit. Pilot production simulation layout will be established and validated.

This project will develop and demonstrate via simulation and laboratory testing, an ultra-high efficiency direct drive system that can be retrofitted to a current production zero emission vehicle (ZEV). The innovation is expected to offer numerous benefits to the target ZEV, including extended range, enhanced efficiency, reliability improvements, cost savings, and other new vehicle design possibilities. This project has the potential to provide a technically and economically viable product for catalysing the adoption of ZEVs, and research outcomes that will directly lead towards an increasingly electrified transport sector.

Sodium-ion is emerging as a rival chemistry to the ubiquitous lithium-ion owing to its sustainability, lower cost and increased safety. Today, UK based Faradion and AMTE Power are manufacturing sodium-ion cells in the region of 140Wh/kg opening up 48V mild hybrid and 48V light mobility markets alongside 12V SLI (starting/lighting/ignition) lead acid replacement. This project's vision is to open up sodium-ion to the market of full-EV's by developing a high capacity anode material in excess of 500mAh/g which translates to a cell level energy density exceeding 200Wh/kg. The Centre for Process Innovation will screen processes and materials for techno-economics at TRL2\. Nuria Tapia-Ruiz at the University of Lancaster then identifies promising candidates in half cells at TRL3\. These are then progressed further in single layer pouch cells (TRL4) manufactured at Deregallera. Finally, the best material is tested in double-sided electrode multilayer pouch cells in a size and format guided by the Automotive end-users (TRL5). The National Physical Laboratory supports with their latest operando techniques to lift the fog of empirical analysis during material discovery process development and directly elucidate the electrochemical reaction pathways. In parallel, Deregallera responds to a techno-economic assessment the CPI conducted during round 3, to drive down the cost of their 240mAh/kg (140Wh/kg cell) hard carbon, opening opportunity for a UK based supply chain.