A British battery company has revealed aluminium is at the heart of a new energy storage technology, designed to cut costs, reduce fire risks and challenge the UK’s reliance on imported lithium batteries.
London-based EQONIC Group said its proprietary system contains no lithium, sodium or rare earth materials, with aluminium defining both the chemistry and architecture of the battery.
The company is targeting material costs equivalent to around 30% of traditional lithium metal batteries and a manufactured cost of £50/kWh at scale.
EQONIC is now moving the technology from laboratory development into industrial validation, where its performance, reliability and ability to be manufactured at commercial volumes will be tested.
Aluminium can be a game changer for battery science, because the metal is abundant, widely traded and can be repeatedly recycled.
Producing recycled aluminium can use around 95% less energy than making primary aluminium, creating the potential for a more circular battery supply chain if recovered material can be used effectively.
However, primary aluminium production can itself be energy intensive, meaning the final environmental impact will depend on where the metal comes from, how it is processed and whether EQONIC can design the system for recovery and reuse.
The technology could also support Britain’s push to develop more of its own battery intellectual property and manufacturing capability.
China currently dominates global battery production and much of the processing of lithium, graphite and other materials used in conventional systems.
That leaves British developers and energy storage customers exposed to overseas supply chains, export controls, geopolitical tensions and price volatility.
A commercially viable aluminium battery developed and manufactured in the UK could help retain technology, skilled jobs and investment while reducing reliance on imported cells and critical minerals.
EQONIC also claims the chemistry is inherently non-flammable, removing the thermal runaway risk associated with some lithium-ion systems.
Jas Kandola, Founder and Chief Executive of EQONIC Group, said: “Aluminium-based chemistry gives us everything we set out to achieve – material abundancy, high-levels of safety and low cost – without the trade-offs that lithium, sodium and rare earth materials carry.
“Confirming the chemistry is one part of the story; progressing towards industrial validation is the part that matters most, and that’s exactly where our focus is now.”
The company was selected in June for the Government’s £452 million Battery Innovation Programme to develop a digital twin of its manufacturing process.
The real test now is whether this British aluminium technology can deliver its promised cost, safety and environmental advantages outside the laboratory.
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