Sunderland-based Hyperdrive Innovation — a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery technology for electric vehicles and energy storage systems — is celebrating the successful completion of its £19 million Government-backed High Energy Density Battery (HEDB) project (www.hyperdriveinnovation.com).

This was funded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), which is a joint Government and automotive-industry
initiative to accelerate the development of low-emission technologies in the UK.

Hyperdrive partnered Nissan, the University of Newcastle, Warwick Manufacturing Group and Zero Carbon Futures to develop a new manufacturing process at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, which allows the automotive manufacturer to produce 40kWh battery cells for the UK and European markets.

For Hyperdrive, the project has opened up new routes to market, using Nissan cells in Hyperdrive battery packs for both electric-vehicle and stationary energy storage systems.

This has included the design of a new universal modular energy storage system and the installation of a pilot line for prototyping and pack assembly at Hyperdrive in Sunderland, with a significant investment made in quality standards and developing the supply chain.

Stephen Irish, managing director (commercial) at Hyperdrive Innovation, said: “The HEDB project has been pivotal in developing the UK — and the North-East in particular — as a global player in battery technology.”

The first applications for Hyperdrive’s new high-performance battery packs have included construction machines, municipal vehicles, airport ground fleets and autonomous vehicles.

The company has also secured a commercial agreement with Nissan (www.nissan-global.com) for incorporating battery cells into modular and bespoke-design systems.