Stock photo of the University of British Columbia Okanagan (photo courtesy of UBCO)

By Liam Verster

Battery Innovation Centre

Battery research facility planned for UBC Okanagan

Jul 29, 2024 | 10:18 AM

The university in Kelowna will be home to a new battery innovation centre.

The B.C. Government pledged $2 million, through its Innovation Clean Energy (ICE) fund, to establish a facility aimed at researching and developing battery technologies, at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBCO).

“The battery innovation centre is a monumental step forward for British Columbia’s clean-energy transition, demonstrating the quality, leading-edge work emerging from the sector,” Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, stated.

“People and industry are increasingly relying on battery-powered devices for cellphones, electric vehicles, medical equipment and more. This project will see multiple benefits, opening up new research and development opportunities and creating quality jobs for British Columbians.”

The new facility will be the first of its kind in Western Canada, and is intended to be a critical research and development hub for testing and scaling-up next-generation battery technologies that have increased energy density, are safer, and are lower-cost alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.

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The $2 million investment will go toward construction and equipment costs for a 2,000-square-foot pilot pouch cell facility within the facility, so it can produce cells for use in medical devices and other application.

“We are grateful to the government of B.C. for this significant investment in the Battery Innovation Centre,” Lesley Cormack, principal of UBC Okanagan, said.

“Effective energy storage is a critical element of a low-carbon energy future and the work of our research team has already improved Canada’s battery supply chain. This investment will elevate that work even further by providing the necessary space to create and test battery prototypes on a larger scale.”

The centre also aims to establish the Okanagan’s role as a battery and critical-mineral hub for the battery supply chain by incorporating battery recycling, metal processing, battery manufacturing and critical mineral mining work already underway across the province.

“This $2-million investment through our Innovative Clean Energy fund to establish the Battery Innovation Centre at UBC Okanagan is so great for our region,” Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon-Monashee, added.

“This centre will be instrumental in advancing battery technology, potentially doubling the energy density of lithium-ion batteries while enhancing safety and reducing costs. This initiative will position UBC Okanagan and the region as a hub of battery innovation, driving economic growth.”

A spokesperson for UBCO told Vernon Matters construction of the new facility would begin in late-2024, with the facility built and ready for use by late-2026.