Ilika PLC (AIM:IKA, OTCQX:ILIKF) this week gave investors an update on its Goliath solid-state battery technology and its ongoing collaboration with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC).
Chief executive Graeme Purdy, speaking with Proactive, said the company is using UKBIC’s advanced facilities to scale its battery production without requiring major capital investment.
Purdy explained that UKBIC enables Ilika to test its manufacturing processes at gigafactory scale, providing potential licensees with confidence in the transferability of Ilika’s technology to large-scale production.
Here, we take a closer a look at what was said.
Proactive: Hello, you're watching Proactive. Joining me is Ilika CEO Graeme Purdy. Graeme, very good to speak with you.
You’re out with an update on the progress you're making with your Goliath battery, and specifically on your collaboration with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). Tell us more about that?
Graeme Purdy: Well, this is really a productive and exciting partnership.
Our business model, Stephen, is very clearly to scale up Goliath technology by leveraging the excellent leading-edge facilities available in this country, without actually having to invest in all of that very expensive capital equipment ourselves.
The UKBIC is a fantastic facility that allows us to trial our process methods and materials at a scale used in a normal Gigafactory.
So, if one of our potential licensees is convinced about our technology and decides to move to production at giga scale, we can provide confidence through the work we're doing with UKBIC.
We are demonstrating that the novel processes we’ve developed can be transferred into that scale of manufacturing facility. We’re really excited about the results we’ve released this morning.
Proactive: Tell us more about the results themselves, Graeme.
Graeme Purdy: We were fortunate to receive funding from the Automotive Transformation Fund, managed by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
This is part of the UK automotive industry’s transition from traditional vehicles to EVs. The program is an 18-month initiative.
In total, it’s a £2.7 million collaboration that started back in 2023. It allows us to work with UKBIC, Mpac Group, and Agratas, which is Tata Group's global battery business.
As part of our work at UKBIC, we have demonstrated that we can produce the composite structures that go into solid-state batteries using large-scale equipment.
Proactive: And what benefits are you seeing from this?
Graeme Purdy: The main benefit is increasing confidence in our technology. We’ve been working on our pilot line, which has a capacity of 1.5MWh per year.
We’re also working with Mpac to extend the capability of that line and add an assembly process.
By transferring knowledge from our pilot line to large-scale equipment, we are showing how easy it is to adopt Ilika’s technology.
Not all solid-state battery technologies are the same—there are choices regarding the materials used.
If a company chooses Ilika’s technology, they can integrate it with existing manufacturing equipment already used for lithium-ion battery production.
Proactive: And of course, using this giga-scale factory setting helps reduce costs, increase EV range, and shorten charging times?
Graeme Purdy: Exactly. The Goliath battery has those advantages. But we also want to lower the barrier to entry for this technology.
We aim to make it as easy as possible for companies to implement, without requiring massive investment in new gigafactories or additional costly equipment.
This makes the economics of deploying Goliath much more attractive to potential licensees.
Proactive: This is another step toward commercialization for Goliath. What’s next?
Graeme Purdy: The System Project, which is grant-funded, isn’t quite finished. We still have a couple of months of work to do with UKBIC.
So, there’s more that this collaboration can deliver.
Additionally, we will be conducting acceptance testing on the assembly line we’re developing with Mpac.
We’ll confirm that it’s operational and meeting specifications. And, hopefully, we’ll continue working with Agratas as we prepare the technology for full commercialization.
Proactive: Graeme, I hope you’ll keep us updated on any additional progress. Thank you very much for speaking with us today.