The UK makes relatively few lithium-ion battery cells, but it has a strong base of companies that design and build battery packs. One EV cell gigafactory is running in Sunderland, a second is being built in Somerset, and dozens of smaller firms make custom battery packs for defence, medical, robotics and industrial customers.
This list covers 10 lithium-ion battery manufacturers operating in the UK in 2026: one cell maker, one maker of high-performance battery systems, and eight custom battery pack manufacturers. We also cover Agratas, the Tata group cell factory that is still under construction. For each company we give the location, main products and official website.
Disclosure: This article is published by Holo Battery, a custom battery pack manufacturer in China. Holo Battery is not on the list of UK companies. Our details are in a separate section for buyers who are also comparing suppliers outside the UK.
How We Chose These Companies
- Manufacturing in the UK: Every company on the list designs or builds batteries at a UK site. Distributors that only resell imported batteries are not included.
- Lithium-ion focus: Each company makes lithium-ion cells, battery packs or battery systems, even if it also works with other chemistries.
- Active in 2026: We checked that each company is still trading. Several UK battery start-ups, such as Britishvolt, have closed in recent years and are not included.
- Public information: Figures come from company websites, company announcements and news reports, and are dated where they may change.
Need higher volumes or a lower unit price? Most UK battery pack makers import their cells from Asia. If your project is price- or volume-sensitive, also see our section on sourcing custom battery packs from outside the UK.
Quick Comparison: 10 Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturers in the UK
| Company | Location | Type | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| AESC UK | Sunderland | EV battery cells | Cells for the Nissan Leaf |
| Hyperbat | Coventry | High-performance EV battery systems | Battery packs for low-volume sports cars |
| Alexander Battery Technologies | Peterlee | Custom battery packs | OEM battery packs for medical, robotics and UAVs |
| AceOn Group | Telford | Custom battery packs and energy storage | Custom packs, energy storage, sodium-ion |
| Custom Power | Crewkerne | Custom battery packs | Battery packs for defence, drones and harsh environments |
| Ultralife UK (Accutronics) | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Smart batteries and chargers | Medical and portable device batteries |
| Cell Pack Solutions | Jarrow | Custom battery packs | More than 3,500 custom battery pack designs |
| Lincad | Ash Vale, Surrey | Batteries and chargers | Defence and security batteries |
| Altertek | Romsey | Custom battery systems and BMS | High-voltage packs, subsea and vehicle batteries |
| PMBL | Somerset | Custom battery packs | Medical, oil and gas, intrinsically safe packs |
Lithium-Ion Battery Cell Manufacturers in the UK
Only one company makes lithium-ion cells in the UK at scale today, and a second cell factory is being built. Almost every UK battery pack maker buys its cells from Asia.
1. AESC UK
- Headquarters: Sunderland, England
- Founded: 2007 (AESC group)
- Main products: Lithium-ion battery cells and modules for electric vehicles
- Website: www.aesc-group.com
AESC runs the UK’s only large EV battery cell factory, next to Nissan’s car plant in Sunderland. Its original plant opened in 2012. A second, much larger gigafactory opened in December 2025 after an investment of about £1 billion, with a capacity of 15.8 GWh of cells per year and around 1,000 employees. Its main customer is Nissan, which uses the cells in the Leaf.
In August 2026, AESC delayed plans for a third production line after supply talks with Jaguar Land Rover stalled, and it has cut its long-term target for the site from 38 GWh to 15.8 GWh a year. AESC was founded in Japan and is majority-owned by China’s Envision Group.
Under Construction: Agratas
- Headquarters: Somerset, England
- Founded: 2023
- Main products: Lithium-ion battery cells for electric vehicles and energy storage (UK plant under construction)
- Website: www.agratas.com
Agratas is the battery business of India’s Tata group, which also owns Jaguar Land Rover. It is building what is planned to be the UK’s largest battery cell factory, near Bridgwater in Somerset, with a planned capacity of 40 GWh and about 4,000 jobs at full scale.
The first building is complete and the company is training staff on a pilot line. Production had been planned to start around 2027, but Agratas has not confirmed a start date, and the site’s permanent grid connection is not expected until late 2028. Agratas is also building a cell plant in Sanand, India.
High-Performance Battery Systems
Some UK companies build complete high-voltage battery systems for vehicles, using their own pack engineering and battery management.
2. Hyperbat
- Headquarters: Coventry, England
- Founded: 2018
- Main products: High-performance battery systems for electric and hybrid vehicles, aerospace and marine applications
- Website: www.hyperbat.co.uk
Hyperbat builds battery packs in low-to-mid volumes for high-performance vehicles. It was founded in 2018 as a joint venture between Unipart and Williams Advanced Engineering, and its best-known contract is the battery pack for the Lotus Evija electric hypercar.
In January 2026, Unipart bought the remaining 50% stake, giving it full ownership of Hyperbat. The factory is at Unipart’s manufacturing site in Coventry.
Custom Battery Pack Manufacturers in the UK
These companies design and assemble custom battery packs for OEMs. Most of them buy cells from major cell makers and add the BMS, enclosure, wiring, testing and certification. They mainly serve defence, medical, robotics and industrial customers that need lower volumes and UK-based engineering support.
3. Alexander Battery Technologies
- Headquarters: Peterlee, County Durham, England
- Founded: Over 40 years of experience
- Main products: Custom lithium-ion battery packs for OEMs
- Website: www.alexandertechnologies.com
Alexander Battery Technologies (ABT) designs and manufactures custom battery packs for OEMs from its factory in Peterlee, with a team in Germany supporting European customers. Its main markets are aviation and UAVs, e-mobility, robotics and AGVs, medical devices, and test and measurement equipment.
The company says it has delivered more than 15 million battery products. It holds ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certification and is working towards IATF 16949 for automotive customers.
4. AceOn Group
- Headquarters: Telford, Shropshire, England
- Founded: 2010
- Main products: Custom battery packs, battery energy storage systems, portable power stations, sodium-ion batteries and battery distribution
- Website: www.aceongroup.com
AceOn builds low- and high-volume custom battery packs at its factory in Telford and also sells its own energy storage systems for homes and businesses. It was one of the first UK companies to build battery packs with sodium-ion cells.
AceOn is also a major battery distributor, stocking brands such as Duracell, Energizer, EnerSys, Panasonic, Saft and Samsung. It holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification.
5. Custom Power
- Headquarters: Crewkerne, Somerset, England
- Founded: Not published
- Main products: Custom battery packs for aerospace and defence, unmanned systems, robotics, medical and oceanographic equipment
- Website: www.custompower.com
Custom Power is the battery business of Solid State plc, a listed UK electronics group. It was previously known as Steatite Batteries and was renamed Custom Power after Solid State bought the US company of the same name.
It designs battery packs for harsh environments, including military equipment, drones and subsea instruments, with sites in Crewkerne in Somerset and Fountain Valley in California.
6. Ultralife UK (formerly Accutronics)
- Headquarters: Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England
- Founded: Over 40 years of experience
- Main products: Smart batteries and chargers for portable medical and handheld devices; custom battery design
- Website: www.accutronics.co.uk
Ultralife UK, formerly known as Accutronics, specializes in smart batteries for portable equipment, especially medical devices. Its Entellion range offers standard smart batteries that can be customized, and it also designs fully custom batteries and chargers for OEMs.
Accutronics was bought by Ultralife Corporation, a US battery maker, in January 2016 and now trades as Ultralife UK. Its site in Staffordshire has made batteries for 50 years.
7. Cell Pack Solutions
- Headquarters: Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, England
- Founded: 1998
- Main products: Custom battery packs using lithium-ion, lithium polymer, LiFePO4 and primary lithium cells
- Website: cellpacksolutions.co.uk
Cell Pack Solutions started in Jarrow in 1998 and has designed more than 3,500 custom battery packs, from prototypes to full production. It is part of Celltech, the battery division of the listed Swedish group Addtech.
It holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification and Cyber Essentials Plus.
8. Lincad
- Headquarters: Ash Vale, Surrey, England
- Founded: 1986
- Main products: Custom batteries and chargers, power management systems and battery conditioners
- Website: www.lincad.co.uk
Lincad is a family-owned company that designs and manufactures batteries and chargers at its site in Ash Vale, Surrey. Its background is in defence: it supplies batteries for military radios and equipment and repairs battery systems for the UK Ministry of Defence.
It also serves the medical, robotics and drone markets, and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
9. Altertek
- Headquarters: Romsey, Hampshire, England
- Founded: Not published
- Main products: Custom low- and high-voltage lithium-ion battery systems, battery management systems (BMS) and BMS software
- Website: www.altertek.com
Altertek designs complete lithium-ion battery systems, including its own BMS hardware and firmware, at its site in Romsey. Its projects include a submarine battery system weighing about one tonne, grid storage, vehicles, robots and drones.
All of its work is done in the UK, and it is ISO 9001 certified.
10. PMBL
- Headquarters: Combe St Nicholas, Somerset, England
- Founded: Over 30 years of experience
- Main products: Custom battery packs using lithium-ion, lithium polymer, NiMH, alkaline and primary lithium cells; ATEX battery packs
- Website: pmbl.co.uk
PMBL designs and assembles custom battery packs in the UK, mainly for medical devices (including implantable devices), oil and gas, electronics and wearable technology. It also makes intrinsically safe battery packs for hazardous areas.
The company works business-to-business at commercial volumes and holds ISO 9001 certification.
UK Battery Manufacturing: What Buyers Should Know
- Most cells are imported: Apart from AESC in Sunderland, UK companies buy their lithium-ion cells from manufacturers in China, Japan and Korea. “Made in the UK” usually means the battery pack is designed and assembled in the UK.
- Strengths: UK pack makers are strong in low-volume, high-reliability work, such as defence, medical, subsea and motorsport batteries, with local engineering support.
- Cost and volume: For higher volumes, many UK and European OEMs compare UK suppliers with battery pack manufacturers in China. Because the cells usually come from Asia either way, buying the finished battery pack directly from an Asian manufacturer removes one step from the supply chain and often lowers the unit cost.
How to Choose a Battery Pack Supplier for the UK Market
- Certification: Every lithium battery must pass UN 38.3 to be shipped. Depending on the product, you may also need IEC 62133 for portable equipment or IEC 62619 for industrial batteries. See UN 38.3 vs IEC 62133 vs IEC 62619.
- UKCA and CE marking: Check which product markings your device needs for sale in Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the EU.
- Cell source: Ask which cell brand and model the battery pack uses, and whether the supplier will tell you in writing if it changes.
- BMS: Ask whether the BMS is designed in-house and whether it supports the communication your product needs, such as SMBus, CAN or RS485.
- Volume and lead time: Ask for separate sample and production lead times, and for the minimum order quantity.
- Total landed cost: When comparing UK and overseas suppliers, compare delivered prices that include freight, duties and dangerous goods shipping, not ex-works prices.
For a longer checklist, see How to Choose the Best Lithium Battery Pack Manufacturer.
Comparing Suppliers Outside the UK: Holo Battery
If your project needs higher volumes or a lower unit cost, Holo Battery builds custom lithium battery packs in China and exports to customers in more than 40 countries, mainly in Europe and the United States.
- Custom LiFePO4 and lithium-ion battery packs since 2007
- Five production lines with a capacity of about 20,000 battery packs per month
- Samples in 10–15 working days; production runs in 25–30 working days
- BMS, enclosure and wiring designed in-house; Grade A cells
- UN 38.3 testing for shipping, with IEC or UL certification arranged per project
- No minimum order for projects without new tooling or custom BMS firmware
Typical applications:
- AGV and mobile robot batteries
- Forklift batteries
- Golf cart and LSV batteries
- Energy storage batteries
- Marine battery packs
- OEM and private label battery packs
Contact Holo Battery for a quote | Our battery pack manufacturing services
FAQ
Does the UK make lithium-ion battery cells?
Yes, but on a small scale. AESC’s gigafactory in Sunderland is the only large lithium-ion cell factory in operation, with a capacity of 15.8 GWh a year. Tata’s Agratas is building a larger cell factory in Somerset.
What is the largest battery factory in the UK?
The AESC gigafactory in Sunderland is currently the largest. When it is complete, the Agratas factory in Somerset is planned to be larger, with a capacity of 40 GWh.
Which UK companies make custom battery packs?
Alexander Battery Technologies, AceOn Group, Custom Power, Cell Pack Solutions, Lincad, Altertek, PMBL and Ultralife UK all design and build custom battery packs in the UK.
What happened to Britishvolt?
Britishvolt planned a gigafactory in Blyth, Northumberland, but went into administration in January 2023 before production started. The site was later sold to a data centre developer.
Is it cheaper to source battery packs from China than from the UK?
For higher volumes it usually is, because cells and labour cost less and most cells are made in Asia anyway. UK suppliers are often a better fit for small volumes, defence work or projects that need close local engineering support.
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