REG - Ilika plc - Agratas joins Goliath industrialisation programme

IlikaAnnouncement

26/04/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 1188M  Ilika plc  26 April 2024

Ilika plc

("Ilika" or the "Company")

 

Tata Sons subsidiary Agratas joins Ilika's Goliath industrialisation programme

 

Ilika (AIM: IKA), a pioneer in solid-state battery technology, announces
Agratas has joined the 17-month £2.7 million grant-supported SiSTEM project,
which Ilika announced on 9 October 2023. The project is supported by the
Automotive Transformation Fund ('ATF'). The SiSTEM project objectives are to
build a 1.5MWh solid-state battery ('SSB') assembly line in collaboration with
Mpac capable of delivering Ilika's Goliath SSB prototype large-format pouch
cells and to undertake scale up trials at the UK Battery Industrialisation
Centre ('UKBIC').

 

Agratas has joined the SiSTEM project to undertake an evaluation of the scale
up requirements for Ilika's SSB technology including a concept facility design
for the implementation of SSB manufacturing equipment at Gigafactory scale.

 

Agratas is Tata Group's global battery business, created to design, develop
and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable batteries in the
mobility and energy sectors, including for anchor customers Tata Motors and
JLR. In July 2023, Agratas announced its plans to produce batteries in the UK,
enough to power hundreds of thousands of electric cars and a significant
contribution to the UK's projected demand of 100 GWh by 2030.

 

The ATF is a funding programme created to support large-scale
industrialisation accessed through the Advanced Propulsion Centre ('APC') and
delivered in collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade ('DBT')
and Innovate UK. Up to £850 million of funding will be invested in developing
a high-value end-to-end electrified automotive supply chain in the UK. The
fund is highlighted as an important mechanism to reach targets in the UK
Government's 10-Point Plan for a green industrial revolution and its Transport
Decarbonisation Plan.

 

Project SiSTEM will run in parallel with Project HISTORY, which will develop
prototype automotive A-sample SSBs that will be produced at Ilika's pilot
facility.

 

In parallel to joining the SiSTEM project, Ilika and Agratas have entered into
a 12-month agreement that will facilitate interactions between the companies
to support Ilika's journey to its D8 (50Ah, chemistry frozen) development
milestone in H1 2025, alongside exploring wider collaboration opportunities
between the two parties.

 

Graeme Purdy, Ilika CEO, stated: "We are delighted to welcome Agratas to the
SiSTEM project. With its plans to build a UK gigafactory, Agratas will bring
significant expertise to the programme and we look forward to a long and
fruitful relationship, which we have further strengthened through our
bi-lateral technical collaboration agreement."

 

Dr Valentina Gentili, Vice-President, Global R&D at Agratas, said, "We at
Agratas are excited to be joining the ATF funded SiSTEM project and
collaborating on the Goliath Program. The SiSTEM project will accelerate our
learning on the production of solid-state batteries and enhance our
relationships with key organisations in the UK battery industry. The project
is well aligned to our mission of world-class teams delivering best-in-class
technologies, and we believe that solid state is a very promising future
battery technology."

Adam Holland, Chief Executive Officer at Mpac Group plc said, ''We are
delighted to be participating in The Automotive Transformation Fund project in
partnership with Ilika, the UKBIC and Agratas, following the award of the
prestigious APC grant for our SiSTEM pilot battery assemble line.  Mpac is a
market leader in complex automation, and we are keen to apply our expertise to
develop cutting-edge solutions for scaling up the assembly of innovative
battery cells. This project demonstrates our commitment to technological
advancement and aligns with the UK government's vision for a cleaner and more
sustainable world.''

Sean Gilgunn, MD at UKBIC, said "It's fantastic that Agratas has joined the
SiSTEM project, which will see a 1.5MWh solid-state battery ('SSB') assembly
line capable of delivering Ilika's Goliath SSB prototype large-format pouch
cells being built in this project. The Automotive Transformation Fund ('ATF')
funded project is a partnership between Ilika, MPAC, UKBIC and Agratas, which
complements the Government's vision for Net Zero."

 

About UKBIC - The UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) is the UK's
national battery manufacturing facility providing manufacturing scale-up and
skills for the battery sector. UKBIC will build on the work carried out in the
completed BUS100 programme by undertaking physical trials to produce Ilika's
SSB electrodes at GWh scale.

 

Ian Constance, Chief Executive Officer at Advanced Propulsion Centre UK said,
"Industrialisation of solid state batteries is one of our current defining
challenges. This partnership and project supported by the Automotive
Transformation Fund's Scale up Readiness Validation (SURV) programme could
lead to a significant step forward in the roll out of solid state batteries
and investment in advanced manufacturing in the UK. The strength and depth of
this consortium demonstrates the leading-edge nature of the UK's position in
battery technology that is key to driving a net zero future for the automotive
sector and road transport."

 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to
constitute inside information for the purposes of Regulation 11 of the Market
Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310. Upon the publication of this
announcement via a Regulatory Information Service ("RIS"), this inside
information is now considered to be in the public domain.

 

 

 For more information contact:
 Ilika plc                                               www.ilika.com (http://www.ilika.com/)
 Graeme Purdy, Chief Executive                           Via Walbrook PR
 Jason Stewart, Chief Financial Officer

 Liberum Capital Limited (Nomad and Joint Broker)        Tel: 020 3100 2000
 Andrew Godber, John More
 Nikhil Varghese, Joshua Borlant

 Joh. Berenberg, Gossler & Co. KG (Joint Broker)         Tel: 020 3207 8700
 Matthew Armitt, Mark Whitmore, Detlir Elezi,
 Natasha Ninkov

 Walbrook PR Ltd             Tel: 020 7933 8780 / Ilika@walbrookpr.com
 Nick Rome, Charlotte Edgar, Joe Walker

 

 

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