image: From left to right: Dr Darren Ould, Dr Marcin Orzech, Dr Sajad Kiani, and Dr Ashley Willow of Swansea University, alongside Dr Emma Freeman, Dr Brent De Boode, and Dr Dan Jones from Batri Ltd — key members of the collaborative team driving the innovative StamiNa project forward.
Credit: StamiNa project
Technology developed at Swansea University has won funding to help deliver better battery systems to Sub-Saharan Africa.
The StamiNa – Sustainable Transport and Affordable Mobility through Innovation in Na-ion technology project—led by Swansea University in partnership with Coventry University, Batri Ltd, Strathmore University (Kenya), AceOn Group, and Federal University of Technology Owerri (Nigeria)—is one of five collaborations to receive valuable investment from the Faraday Institution.
The projects all seek to optimise and validate battery systems to maximise performance and improve efficiency and lifetime. In doing so, they will advance the technologies a step closer to commercialisation.
This investment is the second phase of the Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage (ACES) R&D programme, which the Faraday Institution is leading.
StamiNa is led by Professor Serena Margadonna, Chair in Materials Engineering at Swansea University, and it aims to demonstrate and validate a new sodium-ion battery (SIB) technology through a prototype swappable battery pack designed for e-mobility applications in East Africa.
Professor Margadonna said: “We’re proud to lead the StamiNa project, which brings together state-of-the-art sodium-ion battery technology developed at Swansea University with a shared vision for sustainable, equitable innovation.
“This collaboration goes beyond technology advances—it’s about delivering environmentally responsible, locally sourced solutions that are accessible to all. Together, we aim to accelerate commercialisation while supporting the growth of an African-led battery ecosystem with a local supply chain.”
SIBs could offer an alternative to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for the transition to electric mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa – they are easier to transport and do not have the same supply chain vulnerabilities.
In collaboration, Batri Ltd and Swansea University have developed a SIB technology employing Prussian White cathodes and coal-derived hard carbon anodes with a predicted energy density that exceeds commercially available SIBs, making it competitive with LFP.
Unlike alternatives, Prussian White is synthesised in water under mild conditions and is free of nickel and cobalt. This enables an energy-efficient production process that significantly reduces environmental impact and opens the potential to establish local supply chains.
The StamiNa project aims to:
- Optimise and scale up the production of the two active materials;
- Refine electrode fabrication and cell assembly processes and manufacture multilayer pouch cells and 18650 cylindrical cells at Coventry University;
- Demonstrate and validate cell performance in real-world applications. Cylindrical cells will be integrated into AceOn’s swappable battery pack and battery management system and field testing will be conducted on e-bikes at Strathmore University (Kenya);
- Evaluate pack performance at FUTO (Nigeria) and compare data with LFP and commercially available SIB alternatives; and,
- Evaluate cost, supply chain feasibility, recyclability, and sustainability of the SIB technology for the Sub-Saharan e-mobility market.
This project seeks to accelerate the commercialisation of UK SIB technology and establish a sustainable, African-led energy storage ecosystem that supports clean mobility and broader electrification efforts.