According to the company, this move is part of its bid to supply UK and European based automakers and battery industries with its anode materials. Urbix says that it aims to supply 30% of EVs in the US, UK and Europe by 2030.
The company will work with UK battery partners to test and validate its coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG), which is made using a proprietary process which it says can reduce cost, energy, time and space compared to other manufacturers. It is also compatible with raw graphite from multiple global locations and is not dependent on a single source of graphite, Urbix said.
The company is commissioning a 1,000 tonne capacity pilot line and expects to be at 32,000 tonnes per year full scale production by 2024.
According to the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the UK needs three to six gigafactories capable of 90GWh of battery capacity by 2030 in order to support the current size of the UK’s car industry. Graphite is the largest material by mass in electric vehicle batteries and is almost entirely processed in China, and lack of diversity in the supply chain is leaving manufacturers exposed to fluctuations in price and shortages. To meet electric vehicle demand, Benchmark Minerals Intelligence predicts European (including UK) demand for graphite will reach 916,000 tonnes annually (for EVs, energy storage systems and portables).
“Companies driving the global energy transition need a reliable supply of high-performing and environmentally-friendly graphite to meet projected demand for electric vehicles,” said Nico Cuevas, CEO and co-founder of Urbix. “The momentum in the UK and Europe is building every day and establishing Urbix’s presence here is critical to increasing supply chain capacity outside of China. We’re looking forward to growing our presence and becoming a part of the UK’s well established and growing battery ecosystem.”
