UK’s Ilika Solid State Battery Claims Breakthrough in Safety and Innovation

Ilika, a startup specialising in solid state battery technology, has recently reported a major success in safety tests of its Goliath solid-state battery prototype. These tests, conducted by independent assessors at University College London, demonstrated that the safety of the Goliath P1 prototype cell is significantly superior to that of equivalent lithium-ion batteries.

The tests were part of a short collaborative study, associated with the Faraday Institution’s SafeBatt project, which seeks to improve the understanding of safety in next-generation battery technologies. The study includes Ilika and researchers from both the University of Oxford and University College London. The core SafeBatt project focuses on the science of battery safety, collaborating with UK-based battery developers and manufacturers such as Ilika to guide industrial design and deployment.

Free From Thermal Runaway

The tests highlighted the Goliath P1 prototype’s advantages over conventional battery technology in terms of safety. During the nail penetration test, an internal short circuit was created within the cell by puncturing it with a metal nail. This standard test simulates a catastrophic failure, typically causing lithium-ion cells with NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) cathode chemistry to swell, rupture, explode, and catch fire. This dangerous phenomenon, known as thermal runaway, often results in temperatures exceeding 600°C.

In contrast, the Goliath P1 cells neither exploded nor ignited, with external temperatures remaining below 80°C, despite also using high-energy NMC cathode chemistry.

Ilika: Pioneering Solid-State Batteries

Based in the UK, Ilika plc is at the forefront of developing solid-state batteries designed for a variety of applications including MedTech, Industrial IoT, Electric Vehicles, and Consumer Electronics. Founded in 2004 as a spin-out from the School of Chemistry at the University of Southampton, Ilika has formed partnerships with a number of leading companies such as Asahi Kasei, Shell, Applied Materials, Toyota, and Murata.

In 2014, Ilika ventured into developing the Stereax family of millimetre-scale solid-state batteries for use in medical implants and industrial IoT devices. Their Stereax M300 battery for medical implants is in its final stages of development and is expected to enter mainstream production soon.

In 2018, Ilika began work on its Goliath range of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, following a three-phase plan to scale up from kWh to MWh and eventually GWh production capacity. By 2023, Ilika and Cirtec Medical had signed a ten-year manufacturing licence to produce the Stereax range of batteries at Cirtec’s facility in Lowell, Massachusetts, US.

Founders

Ilika was founded in 2004 when CEO Graeme Purdy assumed leadership of a startup originating from the University of Southampton. The company’s mission was to commercialise groundbreaking technology developed in the Department of Chemistry by Professor Brian Hayden and then postdoctoral researcher Dr Samuel Guerin. Professor Hayden, who became Ilika’s Chief Scientific Officer, had created a machine capable of rapidly synthesising and testing hundreds of systematically varied materials within minutes.

The appointment of Chairman Mike Inglis in 2015 marked the beginning of Ilika’s second phase and a refinement of its business model. Prior to joining Ilika, Mike served as a senior executive at ARM, the British semiconductor and software design company based in Cambridge. Drawing inspiration from ARM’s successful licensing strategy, Ilika adapted this model to the battery industry. The company would now focus on designing innovative solid-state battery (SSB) concepts, developing a roadmap of market-driven products, demonstrating pilot-level volume manufacturing, and licensing the technology to partners eager to produce and commercialise it in their chosen markets.

Technology

The Stereax battery technology offers several advantages over traditional lithium-ion batteries, including a smaller footprint, higher energy density, the use of non-toxic materials, faster charging, longer cycle life, low leakage, and reduced flammability. In addition, Stereax solid-state batteries are customisable in both shape and form, stackable, and can operate at high temperatures.

Ilika’s Goliath range of large-format batteries is targeted at the electric vehicle and consumer electronics markets. The P1 prototype, following successful testing, has demonstrated superior safety compared to conventional battery technologies. The P1 is a solid-state pouch cell with an NMC cathode and a silicon anode.

Funding

Ilika has raised £30.1 million across eight funding rounds, with its most recent grant secured in September 2022. Additionally, in July 2021, the company raised £21 million through an equity placing and retail offers, aimed at accelerating the development of its Goliath technology.

Notable investors in Ilika include the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, and the funding will support the company’s efforts to enhance its battery technologies, which are key for electric vehicles and industrial IoT applications.

Current Progress

Ilika is currently focused on large-format batteries for electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Last year, the company reached a major milestone, achieving its D4 development point, which marked a design-freeze in the Goliath development roadmap. This point serves as the basis for the first customer-ready P1 prototype.

In April 2024, Ilika announced that Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, had joined the £2.7 million SiSTEM project, which is supported by the Automotive Transformation Fund. SiSTEM is working on developing a 1.5MWh solid-state battery assembly line to deliver Ilika’s solid-state battery cells for automotive OEMs, with trials to be conducted on a GWh scale. Additionally, Ilika and Agratas have entered into a 12-month agreement to support Ilika’s journey to its D8 (50Ah, chemistry frozen) development milestone, expected in the first half of 2025.

In May 2024, Ilika began in-house testing of its Goliath P1 prototype batteries as part of a customer-sponsored programme, with the first batch sent for external validation. In July, the company shipped its first batch of prototype Goliath batteries for testing by a tier 1 automotive company.

The P1 prototype is an important intermediate milestone on Ilika’s path to its minimum viable product (MVP), expected in 2025. The Goliath MVP (P2 prototypes) will lay the foundation for future licensing opportunities.