Following the creation of Hyperbat, Managing Director of Williams Advanced Engineering Craig Wilson explains to Shaun Hunter the state of the UK’s mobility industry.

The UK’s largest independent vehicle battery manufacturer will open in Coventry early next year, creating approximately ninety new jobs, at a brand new multi-million pound, high-tech facility that will produce batteries for future hybrid and electric vehicles. The facility is part of a new joint venture between Williams Advanced Engineering and Unipart Manufacturing Group, named Hyperbat, aimed at the UK's contribution to reducing carbon emissions through new, alternative power. By combining world-leading expertise in manufacturing, logistics and safe, innovative, high-performance vehicle battery technology, the facility will provide a secure future supply chain for UK-based car-makers as vehicles transition over to electric power. Just last month, Hyperbat announced Aston Martin as its first customer with the automaker's first fully-electric vehicle: the Rapide E. Ultimately, this business reflects the UK automotive industry's focus on cleaner transportation across the board, creating new opportunities for companies involved in the region. 

New Mobility Editor Alex Kreetzer speaks to Craig Wilson, Managing Director Williams Advanced Engineering, to understand more about Hyperbat and how the UK is working towards realising its vision of cleaner mobility. "Williams Advanced Engineering has been heavily involved and positioned at the forefront of alternative propulsion systems and electrification for the last seven years,” he says. “What we have seen is a very large trend from companies wanting support with design engineering, which is the core of what we do, to increasingly identifying what products are needed in future systems. It's really a journey of evaluating this change and starting to take action.” As part of this solution, Wilson and his team felt that it was important for Williams to play a bigger role in the UK’s supply chain and now, thanks to the rise of the electrification sector, saw the battery as an obvious choice for the company. A lot of people are involved with electric motors and powered electronics, but battery systems are missing which is, fundamentally, the engine of these products. “We have been supported by the Advanced Propulsion Centre for a battery-related programme in terms of evaluating production systems. Through this, we were introduced to Unipart who, from the angle of manufacturing and supplying vehicle systems, had a different desire. They could foresee the future of propulsion systems and wanted to join us on this journey,” adds Wilson. Through additional discussions with Aston Martin, Williams quickly recognised that there was an opportunity to take the next step in establishing a business and become the new face of battery system supply.

The UK’s mobility push

In recent times, the larger OEMs have started to invest in their own battery facilities, identifying the shift towards cleaner mobility. However, there are an enormous amount of product requirements that are needed for battery systems that these companies simply cannot do by themselves. “For years and years, automakers have bought engines from different suppliers, but where will they get the battery from?” questions Wilson. There is now an industry need within the UK to enable the sustainability of all of these companies to have future products. Although there are some companies who are entirely focused on electrification, such as Tesla, the established players in the automotive industry still need to adapt their business structures to allow organic growth into this new sector. In addition, Wilson believes that China cannot be underestimated, as they have skipped internal combustion engines and gone straight into electrification. “They are, in some ways, forcing the hand of the rest of the world to chase them. I don't think it's a ‘nice to have’ thing now, it's becoming an essential asset, which is one of the main reasons that motivated us to get on the front foot and support UK businesses in this space,” says Wilson. 

With the addition of government legislations and the combination of global electrification market pressures, manufacturers are being forced into this new era which, in turn, has seen a rapid increase in the demand for battery system suppliers. The challenge for manufacturers is affordability, with most of these traditional businesses being capital intensive that require large amounts of investment. “We need these businesses to be highly successful and invest in this journey towards future mobility,” states Wilson. “On top of this, the government and other organisations have to come to the party with sufficient infrastructure that supports this new world which is rapidly moving.” There needs to be an industry-wide understanding of where the market is going and, with this, collaboration in order to create a sufficient supply chain for battery supply in the UK that will help the region develop within the global electrification market.