After two years’ work, the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry has cut the cost of ready-for-manufacture battery packs for electric vehicles by about two thirds. Its new technology was unveiled at the Low Carbon Vehicle Event in Bedford on 10-11 September.

MTC technology director Ken Young said: “Current electric-vehicle batteries are not designed with mass production in mind, and the high cost of battery packs has prevented the increased uptake of electric vehicles.

"Our work has concentrated on issues such as reducing the parts count and designing for volume manufacture, so the batteries are cheaper and lighter. They are also easier to take apart for maintenance and to recycle at the end of their life.”

Experts at the Coventry MTC worked with engineers and scientists from Loughborough University, Unipart, RDVS Components, the Bluebird Innovation Group and Cenex (the Government-backed centre of excellence for low-carbon and battery technology).

Canadian battery specialist Electrovaya supported the project and provided a Maya 300 low-speed electric vehicle to act as a test bed. The two-year project was funded by the Technology Strategy Board.