Ilika, the UK pioneer in solid state battery technology, has built a successful prototype of its 50Ah Goliath electric vehicle (EV) battery – one of the primary targets of its participation in the Faraday Battery Challenge HISTORY programme. The 50Ah prototype is a battery of the capacity Ilika will optimise to create a viable product for EVs. Ilika’s battery is expected to reduce costs, increase the range of EVs and reduce charging time.

In January 2023, Ilika announced receipt of grant support from the Faraday Battery Challenge in a 24-month, £8.2 million collaboration programme. Codenamed HISTORY, the project focussed on integrating high silicon content electrodes into Ilika’s Goliath solid state batteries ('SSB') to enable automotive level performance. Ilika received a grant of £2.8 million from the project, which saw it partner with Nexeon, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of battery materials; sustainable manufacturing company, HSSMI; experts from 3 of the UK’s top Universities (St Andrews, University College London and Imperial College); and technology innovation catalyst, CPI, to model, characterise and deliver an automotive industry-defined SSB by project end. BMW Group and Fortescue Zero (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering) were also part of the programme's steering committee.

Development of this successful prototype follows the recent demonstration of manufacturing in a giga-scale factory setting, using industry standard equipment at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre. This marks the latest step toward commercialisation and builds upon 2024 milestones including the start of commercial testing, shipping of the first batch of prototype Goliath batteries to customers, and the release of validated safety data.

Ilika will now work to further optimise its 50Ah battery, based on the initial test results, before commencing a build and test programme in the second half of 2025, targeting an initial release of 50Ah batteries for partner evaluation from the end of 2025.

Graeme Purdy, CEO of Ilika, said: "This outcome marks the successful conclusion of an important grant-funded collaboration, which has enabled Ilika to prototype large EV batteries in readiness for further engagement with automotive OEMs and Tier 1 partners. We will now focus on delivering the next phase of the Goliath commercialisation journey with the support of the UK government’s welcome recent announcement of £2 billion of funding for the electrification of the transport sector.”

Paul Shearing, Professor of Sustainable Energy Engineering at the Department of Engineering Science and Director of the ZERO Institute at Oxford University, said: "Through the HISTORY programme, Ilika has exemplified what the Faraday Battery Challenge funding was designed to achieve. Through strong collaborations which span industry and academia, this impressive demonstration is a significant milestone in the successful delivery of the programme, which we have been delighted to participate in.”