TaiSan announced on April 9, 2026, that it has received approximately £1 million in grant funding from the UK Government’s DRIVE35 programme to lead a project in collaboration with the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI). The initiative will focus on developing and automating key stages in electrolyte formulation and battery cell production.
The DRIVE35 programme is delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and Innovate UK. As part of the UK Government’s broader £4 billion commitment to zero-emission mobility, DRIVE35 aims to strengthen the domestic automotive supply chain by supporting projects that drive innovation in low-carbon vehicle technologies.
Under the partnership, TaiSan and CPI will design advanced automation solutions for both electrolyte processing and cell assembly. By streamlining these critical steps, the project seeks to enhance production efficiency, improve product quality, and scale manufacturing capabilities for next-generation energy storage systems.
Sanzhar Taizhan, Founder of TaiSan, said that the collaboration combines TaiSan’s battery materials expertise with CPI’s strengths in process innovation and industrial automation. He noted that DRIVE35 funding will accelerate the transition from laboratory research to factory deployment, bolstering the UK’s competitiveness in the global battery market.
Ian Constance, CEO of the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK, highlighted the programme’s role in converting cutting-edge research into industrial capacity. He emphasized that supporting SMEs and larger manufacturers through targeted grants is essential to building a resilient, homegrown supply chain for electric vehicle technologies.
The funding will support TaiSan’s research and development activities as well as pilot-scale demonstrations of automated production systems. These systems are expected to reduce manufacturing costs, enhance throughput consistency, and facilitate broader adoption of high-performance storage technologies across the UK. TaiSan will continue working closely with CPI and other industry partners to deliver innovations that contribute to the nation’s net-zero transport objectives.
Source: TaiSan
