Steatite is delighted to announce that it has been awarded collaborative funding of £1.1 million towards the research and development of the next generation of Lithium Batteries for Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS).
A consortium of UK companies and academic partners, led by Steatite and co-funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, will produce a battery pack that will be pressure tolerant up to depths of 6000 metres. The collaboration includes cell manufacturer OXIS Energy Ltd, underwater vehicle designers and manufacturers MSubs Ltd and scientific expertise from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).
Steatite is a specialist in the design and manufacture of Lithium battery pack solutions specifically for harsh operating environments including military, oil & gas, subsea, marine monitoring, and unmanned vehicles. Having previously worked with the NOC to develop a mission-critical battery solution that increased the AUV’s endurance whilst reducing whole life cost, Paul Edwards, Battery Business Manager said “This success strengthens our position as a manufacturer of battery and power solutions, the Innovate UK funding will bring together a class leading partnership from industry and academia which will provide a platform for future success, with each partner bringing a significant level of domain expertise to the consortium”
Collectively this team will benefit from expertise at academic level, cell research level, pack assembly and as operational end users of MAS in the most challenging environments. This is a unique opportunity to establish a high pedigree consortium with an extensive knowledge of MAS, their operational requirements, product opportunities, with already established routes to market. OXIS Energy has been at the forefront of innovative R&D, building next generation Lithium Sulfur battery technology since 2005, while MSubs have a wealth of experience in all aspects of innovative underwater vehicle design and manufacture. The NOC has consistently been at the forefront of pioneering marine autonomous developments.
Kevin Forshaw, Associate Director of Innovation and Enterprise at the NOC, said “We are delighted to have secured this Innovate UK funding, and look forward to working alongside our industry partners to produce these exciting new developments in Marine Autonomous Systems.”
Products range from custom battery packs, electronic components, a full range of rugged mobile computers, fixed industrial computer hardware and custom embedded software solutions as well as RF Antennas and Microwave Products. With the ability to design and manufacture bespoke units to exact customer requirements, Steatite solutions are built for reliability in extreme conditions.
Steatite Limited will be exhibiting and presenting on stand V16 at Ocean Business 2015 at NOCs,Southampton,UK on 14-16th April 2015. To learn more about the event click here.
Editors Notes
ABOUT STEATITE
Steatite provides Industrial and Rugged Mobile computing platforms and integrated Battery solutions, including custom lithium batteries, for customers who demand high performance and reliability in mission critical and harsh operating environments. A market leader since 1938, Steatite’s success comes from our passion and commitment to deliver high quality and reliable electronic products and services customised to your precise requirements. We place a particular emphasis on providing solutions that are built to last, and that can perform in some of the world’s most demanding operating environments.
Products range from custom battery packs, electronic components, a full range of rugged mobile computers, fixed industrial computer hardware and custom embedded software solutions as well as RF Antennas and Microwave Products. With the ability to design and manufacture bespoke units to exact customer requirements, Steatite solutions are built for reliability in extreme conditions.
Press Contact: James Munger
Email: jamesm@steatite.co.uk
ABOUT INNOVATE UK
As the UK’s innovation agency, one of the main roles of Innovate UK is to achieve business and economic growth for the UK. One way the organisation supports this is through funding innovative Collaborative Research and Development (CR&D) projects. Collaborative research and development (R&D) encourages businesses and researchers to work together on innovative projects in strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology – from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge, contributing to business and economic growth.
Find out more about the CR&D programme here: https://www.gov.uk/innovation-get-details-about-innovate-uk-funding-competitions#collaborative-research-and-development
The agreement combines OXIS’s expertise in the development of pioneering cell technology with Steatite’s battery pack design and assembly skills. They have agreed to develop lithium sulfur rechargeable battery systems with advanced communications. These systems will be developed for a wide range of applications in the Oceanographic, Defence and Energy industry such as unmanned vehicles, as well as Li-S solar battery storage systems utilising photovoltaic cell technology.