British luxury carmaker Aston Martin has signed a memorandum of understanding with lithium-ion battery cell technologies company Britishvolt. The companies will work together toward developing battery cell technology designed for high-performance cars.
Aston Martin plans to launch its first battery-electric vehicle in 2025, which is expected to be a direct replacement of one of the automaker’s current sports cars. The automaker also aims to provide an electrified powertrain option to all new product lines by 2026, with a target of displaying a fully electrified core portfolio by 2030, the company said.
Aston Martin has not yet published a road map to full electrification.
Together, a joint research and development team from Aston Martin and Britishvolt will design, develop and industrialize battery packs, which will include bespoke modules and battery management systems.
The companies did not respond to a request for more information as to where this joint R&D will take place, though Britishvolt is working on its 45 GWh Gigaplant site in Cambois, Northumberland, which is expected to be fully operational in 2027 and able to produce battery packs for 450,000 EVs annually.
In January, Britishvolt secured $2.3 billion in U.K. government funding for the project, money that will see Britishvolt focus on developing batteries with high nickel content and more energy-dense materials to galvanize mass production. Last month, the company announced a $54 million investment from cobalt mining giant Glencore, money that kicked off Britishvolt’s Series C. The company is aiming to raise around $264 million in total for the round, some of which will go toward the planned battery factory and an R&D center.
Britishvolt also said last month that it signed agreements with four carmakers, one of which is British carmaker Lotus. It’s possible that Aston Martin was also one of the four, but the company did not confirm.
As part of Aston Martin’s electrification road map, the company is planning to begin deliveries of its first plug-in hybrid car, the Valhalla, by early 2024. The automaker did not say whether Britishvolt batteries would be involved in the Valhalla.
