Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, today visited Aceleron to find out how the proud Birmingham business is revolutionising batteries for transport, industrial and residential use.
The visit followed the recent announcement that the low carbon sector is the fastest growing sector in the West Midlands economy and took place in advance of the West Midlands hosting the landmark UK100 international summit – part of the build up to the UK’s Presidency of COP26 in November.
Aceleron was established by self-declared ‘proud Brummie’, Dr Amrit Chandan, and fellow entrepreneur, Carlton Cummins.
Their innovation proposition was simple: traditional battery production was “rubbish”: too much material was sent to waste, putting unnecessary pressure on the planet’s finite and precious resources.
Aceleron’s response was to develop the ‘Essential’ – the world’s first, fully maintainable battery. Its patented design meant that components could be disaggregated, rebooted and reused.
Their batteries can now be found in everything from quad-bikes to camper vans, from residential energy storage to providing emergency energy supply to data centres.
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “Aceleron are an exceptional business – their vision and innovation is making a massive contribution to how we can start to decarbonise so many parts of the world economy without generating more waste from the technologies we develop.
“Just as we were the birthplace of the first industrial revolution, the West Midlands is the home of the green industrial revolution – our manufacturing businesses, our energy innovations and our depth of research and development are all driving the new industrial revolution that will protect and restore the resources of the planet.
“Aceleron’s products are revolutionising battery technology – a sector that we are really carving out a world-leading expertise in.
“I’ll be hosting an international conference on net zero next week, with representatives from across the UK and the world – it will be vital that we recognise the opportunities we face to create the green marketplace for companies like Aceleron, and many others across the West Midlands.
“It’s also great that Amrit is contributing his expertise and insights to our Circular Economy Taskforce – and I’d like to thank everyone who is taking part in that. Redesigning products so that they can be maintained and continue to be used rather than just scrapped, is a key part of that work.”
Aceleron’s co-founder and chief executive Amrit Chandan said: “It was really great to welcome Mayor Andy Street to the offices today and to talk him through the innovation behind our products.
“Birmingham and the West Midlands is brilliantly placed to help the UK, and the whole planet, start to address the climate emergency, and Aceleron will do whatever we can to help that. We can’t underestimate the challenge: if we don’t address battery manufacture, then we could see 22 cubic metres of batteries sent to waste over the next 20 years just from electric cars!”
As well as their cutting-edge innovation and their contribution to the region’s plans to develop a Circular Economy which aims to reuse and recycle materials and products, rather than wasting them, Aceleron are also playing their part in global social issues.
The WMCA is next week hosting the UK100 summit, an international net-zero local leadership conference aimed at strengthening the powers of regions to deliver net zero. The West Midlands has set out its own #WM2041 carbon reduction plan.
Welcoming the visit, Councillor Ian Courts, portfolio lead for environment and energy at the West Midlands Combined Authority and leader of Solihull Council added: “It is absolutely right that we celebrate and showcase the great companies in the West Midlands that are producing these green solutions. As the region that spearheaded the first transport revolution we are well placed to lead the second.
“We’ve seen that Low Carbon is the fastest growing sector in the region, and it’s companies like Aceleron with their innovations in battery technology and reduction in waste that will maintain, and help increase, our growth. Their success demonstrates that going green is how we will create new jobs and new economic opportunities as well as saving the planet.”
Find out more about Aceleron on video here: Andy Street at Aceleron
For any further information contact the WMCA Media Office via email: media@wmca.org.uk
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