UK-based battery technology developer Integrals Power has secured funding to supply its manganese-rich Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode material for a new government-backed project targeting defence and automotive applications. Under the 30-month programme, Integrals Power will deliver several hundred kilograms of its patented LMFP material to support the production of demonstrator cells in both pouch and cylindrical formats (21700 and 4695 sizes).
Led by specialist battery supplier Denchi, the £2 million initiative is funded through the Battery Innovation Programme, administered by Innovate UK with backing from the Department for Business and Trade. Cells will be manufactured on the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre’s Flexible Pilot Line in Coventry, then assembled into complete packs at Denchi’s Thurso facility in Scotland.
Integrals Power’s CEO, Behnam Hormozi, said the project reflects growing industry recognition of LMFP’s potential to enhance energy density, cost efficiency and supply chain resilience. He noted that LMFP can be produced without critical minerals such as cobalt and nickel, while achieving up to 20 percent higher energy density than conventional Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP).
The programme’s initial validation trials will retrofit Denchi’s BB-2590 ruggedised battery packs—used for military radios, sensor platforms, unmanned systems and backup power on aircraft and vessels—by replacing existing nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cells with the new LMFP cells. Each waterproof pack weighs around 1.35 kg.
Denchi’s CEO, Andrew Cowie, emphasized the importance of sovereign capability in defence supply chains and highlighted the company’s two decades of experience delivering British-designed battery systems. He added that the collaboration with Integrals Power, UKBIC and government partners will fast-track field trials of the first LMFP-based packs.
Sean Gilgunn, managing director at UKBIC, underscored the Flexible Pilot Line’s role in scaling up emerging chemistries. He said integrating LMFP into a domestic battery supply chain is a critical step toward strengthening the UK’s competitiveness across defence and automotive sectors.
Source: TimesTech
