糖心TV

WMG, at the University of 糖心TV, has appointed Dr Alok Choudhary as its new Professor of Supply Chain Management and Head of Supply Chain Group.

Dr Choudhary, who joined WMG earlier this month, brings a wealth of knowledge after more than a decade of working in supply chain management and logistics at Sheffield University Management School, and more recently as a Professor of Supply Chain Management at Loughborough University鈥檚 School of 糖心TV and Economics.

Alok comments: 鈥淚 am excited to contribute to the success of a world-leading institution that is a powerhouse for creating research-led impact and developing innovative solutions for many industrial and societal challenges.

鈥淢ore than ever before, innovation and transformation are needed to tackle some of the pressing global supply chain challenges we face today including sustainability, Net Zero, risk and digital transformation.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to leading WMG鈥檚 Supply Chain Group and collaborating with our industry partners and colleagues from across the University, to make a step-change in addressing these challenges.鈥�

Alok served as a panel member of REF2021 Subpanel "糖心TV and Management" as one of the only two operations and supply chain management experts. Most recently, Professor Choudhary worked with and to develop the .

He has led and contributed to several projects funded by EPSRC, ESRC, European Union, and the British council with specific focus areas including Sustainability (including ESG issues, Decarbonisation and Circular Economy), Resilience and Digital Transformation in the supply chain. Dr Choudhary has served as a Guest Editor at many journals, as well as authoring and co-authoring over 100 research publications including over 55 for international journals.

He was a Visiting Faculty at the (IITs), ; , and a Visiting Researcher at . He has also served as a scientific committee member, session chair and keynote speaker at several international conferences and delivered guest lectures at many universities across the world.

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 Supply Chain Group here.

Kanishka Arumugam, WMG MSc Engineering 糖心TV Management alumnus, has been recognised at the prestigious .

Kanishka, who graduated in 2015, is Co-CEO of WATER TECHNOLOGIES in India. Kanishka and EKKI were recognised in two categories at the ceremony, in Kenilworth, organised by the British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) along with leading European pump industry members.

The Pump Industry Awards (PIA) is not only one of the most prestigious, but also one of the oldest and most revered in the world. The Awards aim to recognise outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and skills. EKKI is the first Indian company to be recognised in two categories.

EKKI was recognised as a key contributor for skills and training in the industry through its EKKI International Water Technology Centres (EIWTC). EIWTC is a global centre of excellence for training, research and entrepreneurship in pumps and water related technologies, partnering with leading industries, government and academic institutions globally.

Kanishka was also acknowledged as a 鈥楻ising Star,鈥� for his significant contribution in transforming the fortunes of his family business, EKKI, from making agriculture pumps to cutting-edge water technologies around the world. He is credited for setting up India鈥檚 first waste water joint venture with German Pump major HOMA which has a presence in more than 120 countries across the world.

Kanishka Arumugam said: "We at EKKI are immensely proud to be recognised internationally for our innovative initiatives within the industry. This recognition from the world鈥檚 most respected and important members of the Pump Industry, recognises the true success and potential of EKKI.

鈥淎t EKKI, we are really passionate about producing globally competitive products from India and make EKKI as one of the most respected family-owned companies from this part of the world.

鈥淲MG at the University of 糖心TV, taught me the importance of applied academia, and I was very fortunate to be mentored by Professor Sujit Banerji who taught us to make global quality. Professor Banerji has recently been appointed as a Chief Advisor to EKKI and continues to mentor us, which is of immense value to both me personally and the company.鈥�

He added: 鈥淚 dedicate this recognition to my father our Group Founder Mr.Arumugam.P, members of EKKI, our partner HOMA in Germany, distributors, dealers and supply chain partners across the globe.

鈥淚 would also like to thank my alma mater, 糖心TV University, for fostering in me the art of applied academia in industry.鈥�

Commenting on this prestigious European recognition, EKKI鈥檚 German partner Mr. Hans Hoffmann, CEO of HOMA said: 鈥淓KKI is seen as one among the fastest growing water tech companies in India and globally. EKKI as a company has proved to a German partner like us that they are full of potential with extraordinary quality and capable of designing and producing highly competitive products, with impressive profits.

鈥淜anishka Arumugam is one of the most successful young executives we have in the industry. Backed by his strong academic background from Oxford and 糖心TV he is an intellectually curious young leader who is ready to pause, to reflect, seize new opportunities, and create an impact in the water industry.鈥�

Arumugam.P, Group CEO and Founder said: "EKKI serves as a role-model for all our other companies within the group. By this distinguished recognition, it has once again led the way. I could not be any prouder, because I know that no one is more capable of leading EKKI successfully into a sustainable and digital future than Kanishka.鈥�

WMG, at the University of 糖心TV, is playing a key role in the UK-ALUMOTOR consortium working to build on the UK鈥檚 electric motor supply chain by leveraging manufacturing expertise to deliver the next generation of sustainable electric motors.

The consortium, led by , will deliver a tested and validated pre-production, highly sustainable motor, with up to 12kg reduction in rare earth magnets per machine. This will enable the UK to scale motor production and accelerate the transition to electrified transport, as well as build and secure its national capability and domestic supply chain without risk from international markets, so providing competitive advantage.

The consortium is also investigating higher performance derivatives, suitable for passenger cars, defence and motorsport applications.

WMG鈥檚 role as the project鈥檚 stator integration lead is to use the to help build several novel synchronous reluctance e-machine prototypes, helping to develop a range of manufacturing processes to pre-production level for the pre-production design. Engineers and researchers at WMG will conduct process development and components testing, leveraging work on earlier APC funded projects, to advise the partners on design for manufacture, bill of processes, and end of line testing to provide a viable manufacture solution.

Funding for the project has been awarded by UKRI鈥檚 Driving the Electric Revolution and will allow the consortium to take the light commercial vehicle motor concept to a much higher level of manufacturing readiness.

This two-year project builds on previous successful collaboration between the consortium in 2021 as the UKRI funded feasibility study was delivered. WMG has supported the design since its inception through earlier DCR project with Ricardo in 2020.

Teri Hawksworth, President of Ricardo Automotive and Industrial EMEA, said: 鈥淭he cost of electrification is widely recognised as being the biggest barrier to wide-scale adoption of electric commercial vehicles. Manufacturers are also concerned about the supply security and volatile costs of the rare earth metals used in most zero emission vehicles. Ricardo is committed to supporting manufacturers by driving cost out of electrification, leveraging our world-renowned expertise in motor innovation, and driving sustainable technology solutions which will support the UK in achieving its net zero carbon emission targets for commercial vehicles by 2030.鈥�

David Simkin, Head of the DER Winding Centre of Excellence (WCE), said: 鈥淭he challenge of taking a novel topology of eMachine to early stage production is exactly what the DER WCE facility was designed to deliver. Taking the experience and knowledge gained in the earlier UK-ALUMOTOR program to early phase manufacturing will build on the manufacturing process and training skills already at WMG. Manufacturing of eMachines in the UK is necessary to move to a zero emissions outcome in the UK. It is the priority of the WCE to support UK manufacturers and UK supply chain companies to satisfy this market opportunity in electrification, and this project provides a perfect opportunity for us to do this.鈥�

In addition to consortium leader, Ricardo, the project consortium partners include: Aspire Engineering, Brandauer, WMG, Phoenix Scientific Industries, and Global Technologies Racing.

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 Transport Electrification research here.

WMG, University of 糖心TV welcomed members of the Worshipful Company of Engineers to the department to discuss the importance of industry working with academia on research and education. The Company comprises leading engineers, and works to promote and develop all aspects of the science, art and practice of engineering.

Professor Mark Williams, Head of Metrology and Visualisation gave a tour of WMG facilities which focused on the important role of CT scanning in battery technology, criminal forensics, and medicine.

Current winner of the Leete Premium Award, Will Naylor presented his PHD work to the group. Will鈥檚 research which has been recognised due to its potential to introduce significant change in manufacturing, investigates methods of capturing, transmitting, and delivering high quality, multisensory, 3D data between remote locations.

 Professor Paul Jennings ,Director of Research at WMG who led the visit said: 鈥淚t was a pleasure to welcome members of the Worshipful Company of Engineers to WMG and give them a real insight into our pioneering research and innovation. The importance of collaboration was a key discussion point throughout the day and Will鈥檚 work is a true testament to that – his research is helping engineers to seamlessly work together and share ideas around the world.鈥�

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 research here: /fac/sci/wmg/research/

Throughout the pandemic the filtering facepiece 3 respirator (FFP3) mask was heavily in demand, as it is the most widely used respiratory protective equipment in UK healthcare system. However, according to a study with health workers from 32 hospitals, the overall fit-testing pass rates had a mean pass rate of 81%. 

with their NHS Nurse co-Founder saw this statistic in reality in setting up the COVID-19 Wards, and with inspiration from the they have created a reusable, customised facemask to protect medical workers during and after the pandemic.  

The mask is unique as it has:  

搂&苍产蝉辫;Fully customised fit according to individual鈥檚 face. This will ensure a high fit-testing pass rate and better protection.

搂&苍产蝉辫;Different from the traditional one fits all masks, customised mask will also provide the most comfortable wearing experience that enable clinical workers wearing them for long time. 

搂&苍产蝉辫;Local 3D printing supply chain to ensure a fast and flexible reaction to the demand with short lead time.

However, to ensure MyMaskFit could be rolled out and mass produced it was important to secure a sustainable supply chain. This is where the WMG Supply Chain Research Group stepped in and helped MyMaskFit to create a digital solution, taking advantage of emerging distributed manufacturing. 

consists of using global and remote expertise, producing parts locally and diversifying supplier network productions, researchers from WMG decided to use distributed manufacturing to create a digital supply-chain marketplace, which is attractive to buyers and suppliers, as it uses the insight gained from other marketplace examples to address known barriers and issues. This means that companies can transform customer feedback into designs and products that can be achieved within days through such a dynamic and distributed supply chain. 

The WMG Accelerator Team also helped, by leveraging their existing knowledge learned from (UKCCM). UKCCM is a digital marketplace created by WMG Accelerator Team, which aims to increase sales and lower costs through providing easy access to the core competences and capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises. 

MyMaskFits was then able to meet the classification of cloud-additive manufacturing with a touch of the platform's support (marketplace) to amplify the on-demand supply chain to a larger scale. 

Carl Che from the WMG SCRG at the University of 糖心TV comments: 鈥淲e are glad that our distributed manufacturing archetype and marketplace archetype helped MyMaskFit to form their business model from academic side. It feels great knowing a better mask can potentially help more NHS workers or even save more lives.  

鈥淔rom a macro perspective, two separated models (distributed manufacturing and B2B marketplace) perfectly help each other out. This project can potentially sketch out an emerging pattern of the future manufacturing in the UK.鈥� 

Paul Perera from MyMaskFits comments: 鈥淥ur mask is unique as it is reusable and customisable, however in order for it to be mass produced and manufactured easily we needed a sustainable supply-chain in place.  

鈥淲MG at the University of 糖心TV have helped us meet our customer鈥檚 needs and expectations by helping us secure a sustainable and digital supply-chain, this means we can easily check our suppliers availability and prices and provide MyMaskFit quickly and at a competitive price.鈥�  

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITORS  

High-res images available at:  

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/november_2021/mask_on_face.jpg 
Caption: The MyMaskFit reusable and customised facemask  
Credit: MyMaskFit Photographer: Ed Felton  

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/november_2021/mask_1.jpg 
Caption: The MyMaskFit reusable and customised facemask  
Credit: MyMaskFit Photographer: Ed Felton 

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/november_2021/mask_4.png 
Caption: The MyMaskFit reusable and customised facemask  
Credit: MyMaskFit Photographer: Ed Felton 

5 April 2022

A cheaper and more environmentally friendly electric motor for electric vehicles is a step closer to market with the support of WMG at the University of 糖心TV.

WMG has provided valuable knowledge and expertise in developing a UK focused, cost-effective production and supply chain for RIFT (Reduced Induction Field Torque) Technology鈥檚 development of RIFT-10; a design for electric motor drives that reduces copper and magnet weight reduction by around 50% and lower cost by 75%.

The aim of the project was to help ; an R&D company bringing a product to market for the first time, advance RIFT-10 to a higher manufacturing readiness level (MRL 7), to get the motor closer to production, by rooting the supply chain in the UK, rather than abroad (given the disruption to supply caused by the pandemic) and supporting production of trial units.

WMG, is committed to delivering UK economic impact and achieving net-zero by supporting industry in accelerating new concepts to commercial reality. This supports the University of 糖心TV鈥檚 approach to sustainability - the Way to Sustainable – which focuses on the real-life implications of creating a sustainable future and the practical challenges of getting there - prioritising research expertise, sustainability in the curriculum, and developing solutions for the benefit of industry and society.

The team of experts at the University has facilitated the RIFT-10 project to deliver on creating revenue, jobs, CO2 reduction, and supply chain growth in the UK.

RIFT Technology has developed the RIFT 10-30 kW motor (RIFT-10) by taking an exciting innovation from their sister business (RIFT Actuators) and working with APC and the Niche Vehicle Network to get the motor to working prototype stage (installed on a G-Whiz). The novel electric motor configuration is proven to generate 10-30kW of power, torque from 0-400Nm and up to 10,000RPM as demonstrated with a prototype vehicle.

The RIFT 10 motor demonstrated unique advantages over conventional EV motors:

Environmental benefits of the project:

路 The low sales cost and attractive features of RIFT-10 enable greater/earlier market adoption of EUV鈥檚, resulting in a reduction of CO2 production over ICE vehicles.

路 A RIFT-10 weight saving and efficiency over competing EV motor designs increase vehicle range, resulting in less energy usage over alternatives.

路 With RIFT-10, equivalent power output is achieved using fewer raw materials (i.e., 85% reduced copper weight and ~85% reduced magnet volume), resulting in less earth material usage as well as fewer material costs.

路 Less materials usage results in an estimated 75% reduction in CO2 produced during manufacture. Planned production efficiencies also lead to further CO2 reductions. An estimated 612,000 Tonnes of CO2 would be saved by year 5.

路 Development of an EV motors supply chain in the UK for a UK and EU market reduces international shipping of components thus reduces related CO2 production.

Social benefits of the project:

路 RIFT-10 creates/safe-guards 50+ much needed and good-quality manufacturing, sales, administration and R&D jobs in the Malvern area with an estimated X14 more UK jobs across the supply chain (over 5-years).

路 Growth of RIFT-10 addresses the government鈥檚 priority area of 鈥楽mart Cities鈥� by allowing smart monitoring of vehicle fleets efficiency performance, usage and other data points. The use of the Internet of Things and resulting analysis can only be as strong as the data input. Traditional alternatives offer no smart functionality.

James Black, WMG Innovation Manager at the University of 糖心TV said, 鈥淭he Covid-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for SMEs and R&D-focused organisations that have previously relied on face-to-face networking events to find new partners, investors, and customers.

鈥淲MG鈥檚 network means we鈥檙e in a great position to connect UK companies together to help them accelerate their product to the market, and we鈥檙e delighted that RIFT Technology has benefited from our extensive background for practical supply chain solutions that have delivered economic and societal value to the project.鈥�

James O鈥橠onnell, Technical Manager from RIFT Technology said, 鈥淎s a research and development company bringing a product to market for the first time, RIFT Technology needed to bridge the gap between prototype and small-scale production. We had to answer difficult questions such as what to make and what to buy, high level questions such as how to develop a supply chain strategy and practical questions such as how best to select suppliers.

鈥淲ith a unique blend of academic expertise and industrial experience from the University of 糖心TV, WMG鈥檚 Supply Chain and Operations Group were able to support us in our journey.鈥�

The project took place during the pandemic, meaning several online workshops were carried out targeting topics such as strategic management, supplier selection and decision-making, and end-of-life strategies.

For further stories, click here.

ENDS

4 April 2022

• New report outlines the need for a Cross Domain Safety Assurance Framework for Automated Systems to ensure the safe introduction of automated transport systems
• Adoption of this framework would enable faster and safer national roll-out of the technologies in the UK, projected to be worth 拢700 billion globally by 2030
• The findings recommend the need for an industry-government and academia body responsible for safety assurance as well as scenarios available for stakeholders and regulators
• The report calls for a codified set of rules to define safe and acceptable behaviour for automated transport systems as well as a scalable safety assurance framework

A new report launched by WMG, University of 糖心TV鈥檚 Dr Siddartha Khastgir identifies the need for a Cross Domain Safety Assurance Framework to ensure the safe introduction of automated transport systems across land, air and marine.

The report outlines three key building blocks of research, standards, and regulations required for the safety framework: test scenarios, test environment, and safety evidence and safety argument.

The transport sector is worth over to the UK economy, but with over 2,000 deaths and over 120,000 injuries every year. Safety remains a key priority.

Connected and autonomous transport, set to be worth over 拢700 billion by 2030, not only has the potential to make travel safer but also faster and more efficient, contributing to both national health and carbon emissions goals.

To support the development and adoption of a cross-domain safety assurance framework, the findings of the report recommend the need for a government - industry and academia body responsible for safety assurance of autonomous transport systems. This will enable fertilisation of ideas across land, air and marine as each work to solve the same set of research and engineering questions.

The report identifies the need for a centralised scenario library to draw on to support testing to standards. It also highlights the importance of developing a Virtual Test Environment (VTE) for use by regulators as well as a qualification process for VTE and enhancing the UK鈥檚 National Digital Twin Programme to realise this. The findings also call for a codified set of rules to define safe and acceptable behaviour for automated transport systems on land, air and sea as well as a scalable safety assurance framework.

Dr Siddartha Khastgir commented: 鈥淚f we鈥檙e serious about the safe introduction of automated transport systems, we need to focus on setting high standards for safety assurance and ensuring we鈥檙e not competing on safety. Collaboration will be key to our success.鈥�

鈥淭aking a cross-domain approach to safety assurance offers various opportunities and benefits to the ecosystem. Firstly, it enables us to learn from the strengths of individual (land, air, and sea) domains. Then, on a more practical note, the associated tools, and procedures in implementing the safety assurance framework such as databases and virtual test environments can be used across all domains, making it cost effective. Finally, and importantly, it helps to avoid triplication by translating learnings and helping foster relationships across these traditionally siloed and independent domains – altogether making research and deployment of autonomous transport systems more efficient.鈥�

Andrew McKeran, 糖心TV Director, Maritime Performance Services at Lloyd鈥檚 Register Group said: 鈥淭here is a significant opportunity for the UK to be a global leader in maritime autonomy, developing a long term, hi-tech ecosystem.

鈥淔rom a maritime perspective, we need a robust, reliable and usable global assurance framework for the safe operation of autonomous ships. The result will be confidence in the data, confidence in the decision-making, and confidence in the systems that are needed to exploit the safety and economic benefits that autonomy can bring.鈥�

"We see great opportunity to collaborate with the other sectors, primarily aviation and automotive to learn lessons, mature thinking, and most importantly develop virtual test environment capabilities for maritime technology applications.鈥�

Michael Gadd, Head of Airworthiness, Blue Bear commented: 鈥淎viation has a global perspective and within this sector the UK has considerable innovative capabilities and technologies. These advancements are supported by pioneering safety and regulatory frameworks which continually install the trust and confidence that enables the economic benefits the sector delivers, from leading-edge research and development to the wide range of aircraft operations and everything in between.

鈥淭he development of a cross-sector safety assurance framework will empower the wider sharing of experience and best practices and help deliver the tools and techniques that are necessary to build confidence and trust in high authority automation and autonomous systems in a common way irrespective of the end use case.鈥�

鈥淭his collaborative approach between sectors will develop key skills and knowledge whilst accelerating the assurance process to deliver demonstrably safe products to market, maximising opportunities for economic growth and also developing experience-based leadership in a globally competitive area.鈥�

To read the full report, please visit: /fac/sci/wmg/research/cav/vandv/ukriflf/cross_domain_safety_assurance_framework_for_automated_systems.pdf

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

About WMG, University of 糖心TV

WMG is a world leading research and education group, transforming organisations and driving innovation through a unique combination of collaborative research and development, and pioneering education programmes.

As an international role model for successful partnerships between academia and the private and public sectors, WMG develops advancements nationally and globally, in applied science, technology and engineering, to deliver real impact to economic growth, society and the environment.

WMG鈥檚 education programmes focus on lifelong learning of the brightest talent, from the WMG Academies for Young Engineers, degree apprenticeships, undergraduate and postgraduate, through to professional programmes.

An academic department of the University of 糖心TV, and a centre for the HVM Catapult, WMG was founded by the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK manufacturing and improve competitiveness through innovation and skills development.

WMG has been successfully leading and participating in national and international collaborations such as OmniCAV, Midlands Future Mobility, ^TM Scenario Database as well as working on CCAV and Innovate UK funded Collaborative R&D projects. WMG鈥檚 research is helping to influence international standards and regulations with active participation at ISO, ASAM, SAE and UNECE forums.

PHOTO CAPTIONS (hi res available on request):

1. Dr Siddartha KhastgirLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window presents his report

2.L to R: Prof Paul Jennings, Research Director at WMG; Sarah Gates, Wayve; Andre Burgess, National Physical Laboratory; Andrew Macmillan, Vertical Aerospace; Michael Gadd, Blue Bear; Jane Fenn, BAE Systems; Ali Chegini, RSSB; Dr Siddartha Khastgir, WMG.

CONTACT

Sheila Kiggins

Media Relations Manager

University of 糖心TV

s.kiggins@warwick.ac.uk

07876 218166

The WMG team had a busy, fun-packed British Science Week, taking part in six special STEM events reaching out to more than 2015 young scientists and engineers.

is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths; and is a chance to look into the future and celebrate the impact scientific ideas can make on society. In support, the Team took part in the University of 糖心TV鈥檚 鈥�Slice of Science;鈥� attended the 鈥檚 Powering our Sustainable Future event, where Rohin Titmarsh and Phil Jemmett shared their expertise on battery tech and robotics; and conducted experiments at a library science fair in Staffordshire.

Dr Phil Jemmett, Outreach Project Officer at WMG, said: 鈥淧resenters at the events noticed students building in confidence as they engaged with our staff, and we have received some really positive feedback from both organisers and parents.鈥�

The team at Perton Library said the 鈥�experiments were great – excellent explanations for the children.鈥�

A parent at the Ri event said it was an 鈥榚xcellent event. Having the booths from universities/companies after the event was a great bonus for my son. He had the chance to discuss not only about batteries but about different courses to study as he is still undecided as to which course to choose.鈥�

Another parent added: 鈥業t gave my 17-year-old a frame of reference to where a career in STEM could lead.鈥�

Phil explained: 鈥淔or the UK to remain at the forefront of innovation, a strong and diverse workforce will be needed. We believe that events such as these can give youngsters the information and the inspiration, they need to pursue a STEM career.鈥�

The Outreach team would like to say a huge thank you to Bethany Haynes; Rebecca Swan-McAdam; Mucahit Ozden; Veronika Majherova; Yiduo Wang; Zeina Rihawi; Jianhua Yang; Rohin Titmarsh; Tom Goodman; Rachael Kirwan; Eugene Prout; Nilavan Thipaharan; Bianca Agapito; and Claire Davis, for their help and support at the events.

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 Outreach programme, including the Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme and the , taking place in April, here: Public engagement and Outreach (warwick.ac.uk)

Delegates from the Slovakian government visited WMG, University of 糖心TV for an introduction into the department鈥檚 ground-breaking battery R&D and a discussion on the importance of industry and academia collaboration.

A total of eight delegates led by State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, J谩n Oravec enjoyed a tour of the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) by Chief Engineer, Mark Amor-Segan who demonstrated EIC鈥檚 facilities to research, develop and test the latest technologies at the forefront of energy storage.

Professor Paul Jennings, Director of Research at WMG, University of 糖心TV who hosted the visit said: 鈥淚t was great to be able to meet the delegation and showcase the power of academia and industry working together, demonstrating how we are helping to drive the sector forward through impactful research and new education and skills offerings.鈥�

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 energy research here: /fac/sci/wmg/research/energy/

WMG, at the University of 糖心TV, has revealed its new EV battery recycling scale-up facility, the first of its kind in the UK.

The adoption of electric vehicles has created a huge demand for battery metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt; and this will accelerate each year as electric vehicles replace conventional vehicles. UK-based OEMs pay hundreds to recycle end-of-life lithium-ion batteries that are then exported abroad for material recovery, with the material later repurchased. Recycling of batteries in the UK will provide a stable and sustainable supply of indigenously sourced metals that will be vital for the UK鈥檚 automotive needs.

Anwar Sattar, Lead Engineer at WMG, explains: 鈥樷�楾he UK has some of the best research organisations in the world, and this facility will now enable us, like our international peers, to take our innovations to the EV market direct.

鈥淲e can now carry out kilogramme scale research which will allow us to attain data that is much more valuable to the UK industry, allowing them to make informed decisions about issues such as material handling and separation, scalability, product quality and waste production.鈥欌��

Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the WMG Centre HVM Catapult and Director of Industrial Engagement adds: 鈥淏atteries are a key enabler to the use of zero carbon energy, and they are a great industrial opportunity for the UK. Making them uses significant quantities of valuable materials, so it is essential that they are safely collected and recycled at the end of their useful life – providing the material feedstock for future generations of batteries. Today鈥檚 processes recover as little as 50% of the mass of the battery, and require large quantities of energy and chemicals as inputs. This new facility at WMG will allow us to research new recovery techniques which are more effective, cleaner and cheaper to operate.鈥�

The new recycling facility, funded by the , is situated within the Advanced Materials Manufacturing Centre. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment such as a wet alkaline scrubber which will enable researchers to safely carry out experiments that are not possible elsewhere. It is designed to accommodate pilot scale recycling machinery including dryers, furnaces, separators, and various reactors for the chemical recovery of metals. The facility will also host a scaled-up version of WMG鈥檚 novel lithium recovery process which will be able to recover over 90% of the lithium in a battery at very high purities.

Various projects are already underway at the facility including an 拢8.9m project 鈥�Recycling of EV Cells from Obsolete Vehicles at Scale鈥� (RECOVAS). Supported by the , the project will create a circular supply chain for electric vehicle batteries in the UK.

Find out more about WMG鈥檚 battery research here: Energy (warwick.ac.uk)