Thurso-based battery cell developer AMTE Power, which went public in March, said on Thursday it has been confirmed as a partner in a new UK Government funded project called Celeritas to develop ultra-fast charging systems for electric vehicles.

The five other partners involved in the project are expected to be BMW Group, BP, Sprint
Power, Clas-Sic and Eltrium.

AMTE Power is a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells for specialist
markets.

AMTE’s purpose-built cell manufacturing facility in Thurso has the second largest cell manufacturing capacity in the UK and the company also has a product development team based in Oxford.

“Currently the best-in-class charging systems take approximately 22 minutes for a 10-80% charge for a
280-mile range,” said AMTE.

“The Celeritas project is aiming to deliver an 80% charge in just 12 minutes. Reducing charge times has been identified as key to accelerating the widespread switch by consumers to electric vehicles.

“The project will be part funded by the UK Government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APCUK).”

This is the second APCUK funded project for which AMTE been selected to be a key partner.

The first, announced in June 2021, is Project ULTRA for which AMTE is the lead supplier.

AMTE Power CEO Kevin Brundish said: “A key focus of this project is to target BMW’s future battery specifications and requirements with each partner bringing innovations to the battery platform.

“It is therefore an excellent opportunity to contribute as well as demonstrate the capabilities of our cell technology to the other partners not just for fast charging but also for fast discharge (acceleration) and ultimately vehicle range.”