Leicester scientists help to drive technological revolution in developing electric vehicles
Two academics from our University are part of a consortium that has received over £9 million for a project that will determine the ways in which spent lithium batteries can be recycled.
Professor Karl Ryder and Professor Andy Abbott, from the Department of Chemistry at Leicester, have received Faraday Institution funding in relation to the recycling and reuse of battery chemistries. This aligns well with the strategic developments in the Energy Research Accelerator.
The Faraday Institution has announced up to £42 million in new government funding to four UK-based consortia to conduct application-inspired research aimed at overcoming battery challenges to accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. If successful, this research will put the UK on the map as being at the forefront of battery technology worldwide. It has the potential to radically increase the speed with which we are able to make the move to electric vehicles, as well as the speed with which we can decarbonize our energy supply, with obvious benefits to the environment.
Leicester is part of a project led by the University of Birmingham, and including seven other academic institutions and 14 industrial partners, that will determine the ways in which spent lithium batteries can be recycled. With the aim to recycle 100% of the battery, the project will look at how to reuse the batteries and their materials, to make better use of global resources, and ultimately increase the impact of batteries in improving air quality and decarbonisation. With Birmingham, university partners include the University of Leicester, Newcastle University, Cardiff University, University of Liverpool, Oxford Brookes University, University of Edinburgh, and the Science and Facilities Technology Council.
The project entitled “Recycling of Li-Ion Batteries ReLIB” is led and coordinated by the University of Birmingham and is valued at a total of £9.44 M. The University of Leicester will receive £801 K and will equate to the activities of two post-doctoral researchers.