Sunderland-based Hyperdrive Innovation Ltd, a leading UK designer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery technology, has been awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, recognising the company for its ‘excellence in Innovation’, following a period of rapid growth as demand for ‘transport electrification soars’.

In 2019, Hyperdrive opened “HYVE’, the largest independent battery manufacturing facility in the UK, capable of producing 30,000 battery packs a year. The company was founded in 2012 and employs 70 people for the manufacture of its HY Energy Battery Pack — a ‘zero-emission alternative to the internal combustion engine’ that is already ‘decarbonising vehicles’ across a wide range of industries, including rail, construction, material handling, off highway vehicles (such as electric excavators and forklift trucks), and stationary/portable energy storage.

The award comes at a time of rapid growth for Hyperdrive, as global demand for battery technology is increasing rapidly. In the last few years alone, the company has been supporting some to the world’s most recognisable brands to ‘decarbonise key sectors of the world’s economy’. Partners include JCB, Hitachi Rail and the world’s largest online grocery retailer.

In the award, Hyperdrive’s HY Energy Battery Pack was recognised for its high-energy density (enabling more energy in less space and at a lower weight), as well as its ability to operate in a range of environments and its modular design — a scalable solution that is easy to integrate into multiple application types.

Last year, Hyperdrive and Hitachi Rail signed an exclusive agreement to develop battery packs to power zero-emission trains and create a battery hub in the North East. Hitachi Rail expects the potential market for Hyperdrive’s battery technology to be more than 400 trains.

The two companies are also working together alongside Evershot Rail to develop tri-mode hybrid trains, using batteries to supplement diesel engines, cutting emissions by more than 20%.

Hyperdrive’s battery packs have also enabled JCB to develop the world’s first electric digger.