Integrals Power, a UK battery technology company, is set to manufacture and supply hundreds of kilos of its patented manganese-rich Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode active material to a new UK government-funded project developing advanced battery technology for the defence and automotive sectors
The future of these industries will require batteries that can provide a balance of energy density, safety, robustness, and cost, for which LMFP is suited. LMFP can also be produced from raw materials sourced from Europe and North America; it does not require the use of critical minerals.
The 30-month, £2 million programme, led by Denchi, will produce hundreds of demonstrator cells in pouch and cylindrical form factors and will be manufactured on the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre’s (UKBIC) Flexible Pilot Line in Coventry before being assembled into battery packs at Denchi’s facility in Thurso, Scotland.
Funding has been secured through the Battery Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK and supported by the Department for Business and Trade, as part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, supporting the UK’s transition to a globally competitive battery sector.
Behnam Hormozi, founder and CEO, Integral Power, said, “Our involvement in this programme reflects the growing recognition that LMFP will transform battery performance, cost, and supply chain resilience. By eliminating reliance on critical minerals such as cobalt and nickel while delivering higher energy density than LFP, LMFP is well suited to the evolving requirements of both defence and automotive applications. We are proud to contribute our materials expertise to a project that is helping to advance secure, sustainable battery technologies in the UK and beyond.”
The first validation trials will be conducted using Denchi’s current BB-2590 design, developed for military use, including radios, sensor systems, unmanned aerial and ground platforms, and back-up power supplies for aircraft and marine systems. These packs, which weigh around 1.35kg, will have the existing Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) cells replaced by the LMFP cells.
Advanced battery technology is set to play an important role in the defence sector as demand for advanced energy storage systems increases. Acting as a demonstrator for the sovereign capability required by the UK defence industry, the programme is the first of its kind to prove that UK suppliers can provide an end-to-end solution.
Andrew Cowie, CEO, Denchi Group, said, “With more than 20 years’ experience supplying the military with British-designed and built battery systems, we have a very clear understanding of what the defence sector needs as electrification becomes a core element of future strategy. Sovereign capability is absolutely paramount, and by working in partnership on this programme with Integrals Power, UKBIC, and the UK government, we are playing our part in delivering exactly that. We look forward to building the first LMFP battery packs and getting them out into the field for validation trials.”
China currently dominates the global battery industry, and manufactures the majority of the world’s LFP cells. LFP is taking a growing share of the EV battery market because it is affordable, safer, and more durable than NMC chemistry.
With China imposing export licences on LFP cells, materials, and manufacturing technology, the demand for a more resilient, more sustainable supply chain independent of China has risen. If China decided to stop supply, the disruption would be crippling; the IEA estimates around £17 billion in lost output from EV plants around the world, with Europe accounting for more than half.
Sean Gilgunn, managing director, UKBIC, said, “Collaboration across the UK battery ecosystem is essential to translating innovation into long-term, strategic capability. Our new Flexible Pilot Line has a key role to play in this because it enables customers to accelerate the cost-effective scale-up of their technologies. Supporting the development of LMFP cells within an integrated UK supply chain is an important step towards strengthening long-term competitiveness in a broad range of sectors, including defence and automotive.”
Integrals Power’s LMFP material has a high manganese content of 80%, enabling up to 20% greater energy density than conventional LFP while maintaining its key advantages. This combination of attributes, combined with freedom from expensive cobalt and nickel, makes it a compelling alternative.
