Both an academic department at the University of Warwick as well as a High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC), WMG plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of electric vehicle battery production in the UK through cutting edge research and development.

WMG’s role in scaling up the domestic supply of batteries includes testing and evaluating new battery materials, ensuring they are safe and can be used in the next generations of automotive vehicles to come.

To carry out this work, WMG recognised that it would need a variety of shipping container units to house and test the battery solutions. With this, it needed a local partner to supply modified containers that could not only allow this testing to take place in a safe location, but also contain a battery fire should one occur.

As a result, the WMG team reached out to us to provide them with a variety of solutions to help further their research into battery storage.

A fruitful relationship

We have been working with WMG since 2018. During our six-year relationship, our conversions team has designed and produced 10 containerised battery storage solutions for WMG to safely test its latest innovations. This includes:

• Safe Storage Systems to store the battery units in a safe and secure environment so in the unlikely event that a battery combusts, the fire is contained.
• Cycle Testing Units  to test new battery chemistries and designs to analyse their performance in a safe environment.
• Abuse Testing Unit where a battery is put under stress to see if the design can prevent thermal runaway in a safe contained environment.

Through this ongoing partnership, WMG has been able to test and research proposed battery designs to ensure their integrity.

With the research into batteries and materials continuing at pace, one of the latest collaborations between us and WMG has been a new Cycle Testing Unit, delivered in June 2024.

Safety at its core

To deliver on WMG’s exact needs, the first stage of the process in designing this new container was a consultation with our team to discuss the elements needed within the design.

Following this, a CAD plan was created and sent to WMG to show how different elements of the container would fit together and house the batteries to be tested. After the layout was finalised and agreed, the conversions team set out to convert a 20ft container into WMG’s newest Cycle Testing Unit.

The bespoke unit was fitted with fire-rated equipment such as smoke ventilation, over-pressure relief panels also known as ‘blast panels’, ATEX-rated cabling, and protective linings. This means that in the event of a worst-case scenario such as a lithium-ion battery entering thermal runaway, the unit will be able to extract the smoke safely and contain the fire.

Once the unit was completed, it was delivered to WMG’s site at the University of Warwick where it was placed ready for use.

The results

Speaking  of the ongoing relationship, Dr Simon Jones, Principal Engineer – Battery Safety at Warwick Manufacturing Group said:

“Our six-year partnership with S Jones Containers Conversions Division has played an important role in our ability to remain at the forefront of research and development for electric vehicle battery production in the UK, allowing us to safely test batteries.

The experts at S Jones Containers ensured the development and delivery of our new Cycle Testing Unit was smooth and efficient, and we look forward to continuing this collaborative partnership in the future.”